Ergonomic Design of an office chair for people working in office for long hours sitting in a chair. It improves the efficiency and productivity of the employees as well as the company.
4. An office chair at a glance
An average person makes 53 changes to his or her torso
position in an hour while sitting in a chair according to
2001 study of desk bound office workers.
The design of the chair should be such that it is
stable, yet promote dynamic, active, natural motion
allowing sitting in any position.
The chair should support you in whatever position you
feel most comfortable.
It should be simple, natural and easy, intuitive and
enjoyable to use.
6. What we look in an ideal office
chair…
Explored and applied the latest technologies.
Office seating need to go beyond the assumptions and
approaches of traditional chairs.
The chair should be wonderfully
sophisticated, elegant, comfortable, inviting and remarkably
simple and natural to use.
The chair will support you in all the various activities
comprising your work day: from sitting at a computer to
talking on the phone to interacting with others; from turning
or reaching to bending or stretching.
10. 1971: SYNTHESIS 45
Suddenly office chairs are fun
Fun was not a word much associated with offices during the first half of the 20th century.
designer ettore sottsass came on board and ditched the traditional black, grey and beige
colour schemes, designing furniture in bright yellow, purple and red. synthesis 45 was an
adjustable secretary chair — a bright, cartoon-happy, friendly design.
1976: ERGON
The arrival of ergonomics
The Ergon was the first task chair designed specifically with the physical health and comfort of
the office worker in mind. It could be quickly and easily adjusted to the size and shape of the
sitter, and provided spinal support and unrestricted blood flow using a two-pad seat.
1849: CENTRIPETAL SPRING ARMCHAIR
Where it all began
The story of the office chair began with the centripetal spring armchair.
Designed by Thomas E Warren, New York, it is probably the earliest example of a task chair.
The design was adapted for use on railway carriages as the springing seat helped to absorb
shock from the train's movement.
1979: SUPPORTO
The office chair for everywhere
Over in Britain, the Supporto Chair from manufacturer Hille International was
described by its designer Frederik Scott as "an office chair designed to cut through
the hierarchy of office seating". What he meant by that was that it would be just as
suitable in an office, a conference room or any number of other environments.
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11. 1980: FS CHAIR
An engineering revolution
Designed by Klaus Franck and Werner Sauer,the key innovation here was the engineering: three
swivel axes allow the seat, backrest and armrests to follow the sitter's movement. Combined with a
particularly elastic shell, the FS-Line chair is highly adjustable and automatic while its modular
structure and frame make repair, maintenance or upgrades easy.
1984: EQUA
The democratic chair
Hailed as the Design of the Decade by Time magazine, the Equa was so-called
because, at a time when offices were shifting to more open plan structures, it was
designed to be "an egalitarian chair" that would provide equal ergonomics for all. Office
seating was becoming more specialized, but this chair would allow a person to perform a
variety of tasks.
1984: CAPISCO
The cavalry arrives
Also known as the Saddle Chair, Peter Opsvik's Capisco chair is like re-creating a horseback
rider's dynamic posture, while also creating a work chair that would accommodate the most
sitting postures possible. Opsvik describes the Capisco as a "sitting device", and the seat and
backrest are cut-out spaces to allow the fit and the fidgets freedom to move their arms and legs.
1994: AERON
The dotcom darling
As ubiquitous and translucent as the blue iMac that so often sat on the desk in front of it, the
Aeron chair is an icon of the dotcom era. Yet another Herman Miller success story designed by
Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf, it is distinctive in that its seat and back are made of Pellicle, a
flexible mesh, instead of the usual upholstery.
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12. 1999: FREEDOM CHAIR
The secret of simplicity
Before it started making the Freedom Chair, Humanscale was a $44m company. Eight years
after launching Niels Diffrient's ergonomic design, it topped $200m. The secret was in the
simplicity: Freedom was supremely easy to use, with a self-adjusting, weight-sensitive
recline, while a distinctive exoskeletal frame made it easy to recognise too.
2008: EMBODY
The healing chair
Bill Stumpf came up with this design of a chair that could potentially impart health benefits
to the sitter. Where previously all the ergonomics and engineering in a chair aimed to
minimise the negative effects of sitting, Herman claimed that Embody's dynamic seat-
and-back surfaces could reduce stress, help circulation, lower the sitter's heart
rate, improve their posture and generally cure most office ills.
2008: 360º CHAIR
21st-century chair
In a radical move that implied that the ergonomists' view of the work chair was
outdated, designer Konstantin Grcic came up with the 360° chair for Italian maker Magis.
Not intended to be sat on for long periods, the design acknowledges changes in the
workplace as a new generation find their jobs ever more dynamic.
2010: SAYL
Bridging the eco divide
Designed by Yves Behar, the Sayl is produced at the lowest cost ever achieved by the
company, by using fewer parts and less material — two things that ultimately also mean a much
reduced carbon footprint. Inspiration for the chair came from observing the way suspension
bridges carry tremendous loads: it uses a tower for vertical support, cables for back tension and
comfort, and a lower span as base. This means the chair has no need for a hard material to
frame the back, allowing greater freedom of movement.
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14. ADJUSTING KNOBS
Seat height should be pneumatically
adjusted while seated
A range of 16 - 20.5 inches off
the floor should accommodate most
users.
Thighs should be horizontal, lower
legs vertical.
feet flat on the floor or on a
footrest. range, 347 to 525mm
15. • It is measured from the front edge of the seat to
the lumbar support region of the backrest.
• If the seat depth is excessive, small people will not
be able to sit back far enough to get the benefit of the
backrest. A seat width of 17-20 inches suffices for
most people and should be deep enough to permit
the back to contact the lumbar backrest without
cutting into the backs of knees.
• The front edge should be rounded and padded –
“ A WATERFALL EDGE”
• Bucket-type seats must be avoided. The seat should
swivel easily.
• Minimum width of 450mm is required. This gives a
little extra space above the 97.5th percentile hip width
for Indian women of 445mm.The 97.5th percentile hip
width for Indian males is less than this
(417mm).RANGE : 380 to 480mm
16. Provision for forward
slope of the seat, up to a
maximum of 10
degrees, is useful to
reduce pressure on the
thighs when working while
leaning forward.
But for general
purposes, a chair
with the seat angle fixed
and horizontal is probably
best. The seat slant
should be adjustable (0 to
10
degrees).
17. Purpose : to provide comfort and
safety.
Headrest-height adjustable
cushioned for comfort
Effect : relaxed posture that helps
relieve the pressure on your postural
muscles which can decrease fatigue
and increase comfort.
18. The backrest should be large enough to cover the entire width
of the back. A minimum of 12” is recommended for width.
Seat back height preference varies dramatically from user to
user. Lumbar support, these commonly range from 6” to 10” in
height. In that case, the lumbar support should be centered at L
3-4 vertebrae. A lumbar support should also have at least 4” of
adjustability to allow centering in the back.
In full-length designs, backrests should be contoured to fit the
“S” shaped curves of the spine, not entirely flat or straight.
Backrest - Seat Pan Angle-The angle between the seat pan
and chair back should be adjustable when the user is seated
with thighs parallel to the floor and legs properly supported
vertically. This angle permits the user to sit slightly
forward, straight up, or recline back depending on the type of
computing performed, support needed, and comfort desired.
19. A chair seat and back should
be padded enough to allow
comfortable circulation.
If a seat is too soft, the
muscles must always adjust to
maintain a steady
posture, causing strain and
fatigue.
The seat fabric should
"breathe" to allow air circulation
through clothes to the skin.
LEATHER
CUSHION
WIRE MESH
LEATHER
20. Adjustable
Does not restrict
leg movement
Easily removed
As wide as your hips
Large enough for the
soles of both feet
Has a nonskid surface
Made of anti skidding,
Anti fatigue material
.
21. Ergonomic armrests are optional
features.
Armrest users report enhanced
performance including less
fatigue, increased comfort, and
better endurance with sustained
computing.
Armrests should be placed at
least 18.5” apart and made of
soft or padded material.
An ergonomically designed
armrest should be adjustable
vertically and not impair
circulation due to direct pressure
to contact areas but distribute that
load over broad areas
comfortably. Armrests should
adjust between 2” and 4” vertically
to accommodate user’s preference.
22. An ergonomically designed
chair has a solid, safe, and
stable 5-post chair base. It
should be made of strong
materials to support up to five
times the body weight.
The chair base should also be
equipped with quality casters to
permit easy maneuvering on
office floor surfaces.
25. INFERENCE :
1.)Chair affects the working
efficiency and the physique of
all.
2.)Soft cushiony seat and arm
rest preferable.
3.)All the components – arm
rest, back rest, foot rest must be
adjustable.
26. • Backrest follows the lumbar
curve of the spine. Given in 2
tiers, it comprises an
automatic tilt lock
mechanism in 2 tiers, one for
the lower spine, one for
upper spine and one for the
headrest
• Footrest provided with a
lever mechanism to change
its angle of tilt and move at
the fixed angle with
inclination in seat and
backrest. It is textured so as
to provide comfort at critical
pressure points of the heel -
accupunture
27. • Curved armrests with
depression in between to
support the forearm properly
• Lever to adjust the height of
the chair
• Backrest made of open
pellicle mesh for distributing
pressure on back uniformly
and also for thermal
regulation
30. MARKETING STRATEGIES
Knowing our customers.
Ensuring availability to
the customers.
Collaborating with the
workstation companies.
Advertisement through
mass media.