Combining anthropometric data and consumer review content to inform design for human variability

In this paper, we strive to combine concepts from the field of ergonomics with techniques from design analytics in order to inform the specifications of a product, such that a designer can create products that are both universal and well-received by consumers. While the ergonomic guidelines dictated by anthropometric data can provide a broad target range for design features, consumer reviews of previous iterations of similar products can narrow the design further, within that given range, to pinpoint a more effective design. We establish a general, ergonomically-centered set of cue-phrases to identify and extract useful information from online reviews, after which this information can be coupled with anthropometric measurements to produce more accurate product dimensions and features. A new metric, the Frequency and Accuracy Summation (FAS) Number is also introduced, as a means to predict the likelihood that a cue-phrase will yield useful results. The usefulness of these cue-phrases as well as the utility of combining consumer review content with anthropometric data sets are then tested in a case study centered on the design of a new and more universal "ear bud" headphone. Using the established cuephrases, reviews of an existing product are processed such that problem components could be targeted in the new design. The information that was gleaned from those reviews is then paired with actual human ear measurements to propose a new, hypothetical product design that is more ergonomically sound and universal.