The importance of ergonomic design in product innovation. Lessons from the development of the portable computer

Windrum, P. and Frenken, K. and Green, Lawrence (2017) The importance of ergonomic design in product innovation. Lessons from the development of the portable computer. Industrial and Corporate Change, 26 (6). pp. 953-971.

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Abstract

The article addresses the role of ergonomic design in product innovation. Designers meet users’ needs by developing solutions to complex trade-offs—reverse salients—between a product’s characteristics. The fundamental ergonomic design challenge in portable computers concerns the reverse salient between two ergonomic factors: screen size and weight. It is easier to view information on larger screens, but portability is negatively affected by the weight of larger batteries required to power larger screens. This ergonomic reverse salient shaped the innovation trajectory of the portable computer, from the selection of the clamshell portable over alterative design configurations, to the search for more efficient batteries and new types of screens. Based on hedonic price analysis on data of ergonomic and technological characteristics, we show that (i) screen size and weight are key components in hedonic price functions, (ii) the interaction between screen size and weight is distinct from interactions between other, technological, characteristics that affect computing power, and (iii) positive prices are paid for the product solutions to the ergonomic reverse salient.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1093/icc/dtx006
Dates:	Date Event 13 March 2017 Published Online 12 January 2017 Accepted
Subjects:	CAH17 - business and management > CAH17-01 - business and management > CAH17-01-02 - business studies CAH17 - business and management > CAH17-01 - business and management > CAH17-01-04 - management studies CAH25 - design, and creative and performing arts > CAH25-01 - creative arts and design > CAH25-01-03 - design studies
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts, Design and Media > College of Digital Arts
Depositing User:	Users 67 not found.
Date Deposited:	04 Dec 2017 14:04
Last Modified:	11 Jun 2024 12:18
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/5320

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