Author: Xavier Drysdale (Page 1 of 3)

Critical Stakeholder Insight

January 20, 2021 / Xavier Drysdale / 0 Comments

I contacted Dan Robinson an ergonomist at Kwantlen Polytechnic University about how I could (within a short span of time) test the effectiveness of my mouse without putting any risk of injury on the users.

he said that testing for the actual injury “would need a longitudinal study that looks at injury outcomes of a large sample over several months or years.”

However he suggested that the “best approach is likely to evaluate what are called “leading indicators” (repetitive strain injury is a lagging indicator… happens later and takes time). Risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome and hand/wrist tendonitis would be leading indicators (happen immediately and can be measured with an assumption that higher levels increase risk for injury – but without waiting for the injury). Leading indicators would include repeated or sustained awkward wrist/forearm postures (ulnar/radial deviation, flexion/extension, pronation/supination), or grip force on the mouse, or frequency of button clicking. If your design reduces the occurrence or severity of these, it likely reduces risk of injury.”

“Research the key risk factors/hazards for CTS and tendonitis associated with use of a mouse, and it will likely guide you towards what to quantify in your testing (and possibly in your design). Focus on what you believe your design will influence. For example, a vertical mouse like the Evoluent or Adesso designs claim risk reduction by eliminating forearm pronation and radial/ulnar deviation of the wrist. “

Coefficient of Friction

January 20, 2021 / Xavier Drysdale / 0 Comments

https://www.school-for-champions.com/science/friction_sliding_coefficient.htm#.YAd5RuhKiUm

this link shows the math related solving for the Coefficient of Sliding Friction

this link shows how tilting an object and observing the angle at which objects slide is directly related to the coefficient of friction.

Brainstorming session 3

November 28, 2020 / Xavier Drysdale / 0 Comments

Neuropathy

November 28, 2020 / Xavier Drysdale / 0 Comments

jumping off of what I learned from tendon strength and hand position effort , I felt it could be insightful to learn about people who have conditions where their tendon strength has been injured.

Neuropathy is damage or dysfunction of one or more nerves that typically results in numbness, tingling, muscle weakness and pain in the affected area. Neuropathies frequently start in your hands and feet, but other parts of your body can be affected too.

-carpal tunnel is a type of hand neuropathy

-Hand Neuropathy can negatively effect hand manual dexterity (the ability to use your hands in a skillful, coordinated way to grasp and manipulate objects and demonstrate small, precise movements).

Indoor Rock climbing may provide some insight into what kinds of shapes and forms are easier to grip (requiring less hand dexterity and grip strength)

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/climbing-holds.html

there are many types of rock climbing hold including horns, jugs, flakes, underclings, pockets, slopers, pinches, crimps, and ledges. However the easiest of these holds are Jugs.

Normally smaller holds are considered harder and thus because of their large size, Horns can also be considered to be easier than most holds, but because they are so big (bigger than the size of your hand), it can be difficult to maintain this grip for a long time.

This is why Jugs are the easiest hold; small enough to fit nicely for the size of an average hand, yet large enough to require little grip strength.

SOURCES

C. (2019). Neuropathy (Peripheral Neuropathy). Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14737-neuropathy

A. (2015). THE IMPORTANCE OF MANUAL DEXTERITY. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.adea.org/GoDental/Application_Prep/Preparing_for_Dental_School/The_Importance_of_Manual_Dexterity.aspx

R. (2018). How to Use Rock Climbing Holds. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/climbing-holds.html

Problem Key On Keyboard Meaning Difficulty Dilemma Or Trouble

Overarching Problems [turning point]

November 28, 2020 / Xavier Drysdale / 0 Comments

Overarching problem to solve is fatigue (especially because in the context of the creative industry, users spend long hours with the mouse, therefore allowing them to comfortably use the mouse for as long as possible is the number one challenge to solve. it seems fatigue while using computers is usually caused by:

frequent independent finger movement (see here)

carpal tunnel from: flexed and extended wrist positions, pinching tendons from corner of desk, (see here)
hand positions that require effort to hold (see here)

Hand therapy insights

November 28, 2020 / Xavier Drysdale / 0 Comments

Finger tendon gliding exercises are used in physiotherapy to rehabilitate an injured ligaments, muscles or tendons in the hand or wrist. These exercises include transitioning your hand between specific hand positions including the:

relaxed, straight, duck, hook, flat fist, and full fist, and tabletop positions.

This is important because all of these positions are used by physiotherapists because they activate the hand tendons and require a level of strength from your forearm muscles to be able to do these movements properly.

These positions require effort to hold therefore these are great for training your hand back into working condition, but I should stay away from designing any concept or form that requires the user to make any of these positions.

SOURCES

S. (2015, July 29). Tendon Gliding – Southlake Hand Therapy. Retrieved November 27, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUhjUBAQv30

Inspiration ideas

November 28, 2020 / Xavier Drysdale / 0 Comments

Air hockey uses air to blow up through the table via tiny holes to allow the puck to glide easier across the table simulating ice.

what if this was used in the mouse itself to allow a more free and loose movement experience

track pads are actually a very interesting concept and have much promise. They allow you to move the cursor with something very low profile, and most newer versions allows users to left and right click simply by tapping the pad rather than pressing an actual button (would require more force). The issue is that users need to put their hand and fingers into tabletop, or hook type of position for use; and as I found in this article here, those positions are to be avoided.

[Insight: what if there was a way of using track pad technology in a design that allowed users’ hands to be in a neutral position. What if we could use a track pad by moving our entire hand rather than isolating a couple fingers (as found here, isolating fingers can also lead to fatigue).

Brainstorming session

November 28, 2020 / Xavier Drysdale / 0 Comments

Neutral hand position research

November 27, 2020 / Xavier Drysdale / 0 Comments

A study posted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information and published by the Europe PMC founders group investigates natural movements of the right hand in day to day activity. The results were as follows:

-The thumb is the most independent digit, the pointer finger is the most independent finger (meaning it is easiest to move that finger by itself without strain), and the ring finger is the least independent of all (meaning it is difficult to isolate that finger).

-it is always harder to move a finger independently from a directly adjacent finger than it is to move a finger independently from one that is farther away.

[insight: since it is more difficult to move certain fingers by themselves, if i make a design that requires the frequent use of an isolated finger (especially the ring and middle fingers), it will be likely to lead to hand fatigue]

-IDEA: what if i designed a stationary form that used direction force to move the cursor instead of designs that use the movement of fingers to do so. using pressure sensors to dictate the speed of the cursor and programming in a way where the force required to move the cursor is small enough to be usable for long periods, while being large enough to prevent accidental or unwanted movements.

IDEA: what if i created a mouse that could rotate to a neutral position for both hands.

[IMPORTANT INSIGHT: I should then also stay away from designing a form that causes one or two fingers to rest in different positions than the others (the resting position of all fingers should be the same). For example

this picture shows how the resting position of the index and middle fingers are at different heights from the ring and pinky. ]

– Steve Meagher a physiotherapist specializing in ergonomics says that the ulnar nerve and the median nerve both tend to get pinched when your wrist is sat on the edge of a desk while utilizing a mouse. further more, when you physically move the mouse around, you are rubbing and grinding into those two nerves which can cause much discomfort.

(solution is to either position the wrist and arm in a way that is not sitting directly on the base of the wrist, or to provide extra cushioning to decrease the immediate hardness of the desk being used. )

he also says that those particular nerves become aggravated when your wrist is in the extended position for long periods of time)

SOURCES

Ingram, J., Körding,, K., Howard, I., & Wolpert, D. (n.d.). The statistics of natural hand movements. Europe PMC Founders Group.

Meagher, S. (2016, November 10). Gaming- Mouse Position and Wrist Pain. Retrieved November 26, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xS7EzEKScs

Design Reflection 3

November 24, 2020 / Xavier Drysdale / 0 Comments

Throughout the past weeks, i have received much feedback about the layout and communication effectiveness of my wordpress blog. I spend quite a while trying to figure out ways of expressing my work in a way that both is easily understandable to new reader, and that can work for my though process. i have made the blog more streamlined and have decided to go with short edited videos to explain key segments in my process (the first if which is now on the front page).

through my research i have noticed a strong pattern of trackball mice being used amongst my target demographic. I have begun to look into the track ball mouse and am currently trying to extract key insights as to the key components that make them so ergonomically viable for use; I am also trying to get more hard statistics and numbers on things like this to back up my findings.

I have also decided to go more with a physical application and building/ideation approach to learn things rather than spending the majority of my time sketching and ideating on paper as this is the medium that generates the most creativity for me. I have now put a page on my blog for this purpose and will be populated shortly.

Side note insight:

I have been thinking about an interesting concept of providing more control over the mouse, yet supplying this feeling of freedom, where your hand is not constrained to one plane of motion.