In my definition, a designer creates solutions to meet the physical, emotional and/or functional needs of the user. This human anthropometry investigation focused on the physical needs of the user, to instill the need for designers to be aware of the variety of shapes and sizes of the human form. This investigation had three separate exercises. The first two involved recording our personal body measurements and then comparing them to the average percentiles normally utilized by designers. This comparison was done with the assistance of the text Bodyspace: Anthropometry, Ergonomics, and the Design of Work by Stephen Pheasant. The third and final exercise was the creation of body armor. My team for the final investigation included Aastha Agarwal, Laura Campos, and David Sobin.
Generally speaking, designers may not be able to accommodate every body type, but rather design for an average (the 50th percentile) body type as a way of accomdating as many users as possible.
The first two exercises focused on determining what the averages for each measurement were and where we each personally stood on that spectrum.
