QFD-Based Ergonomic Design of Drafting Table for Engineering Students: A Case Study

Abstract

Engineering design uses engineering drawing as the way to communicate and document ideas. Most of the universities in India have been offering engineering drawing as one of the courses for undergraduate engineering programs. The study of engineering drawing will enhance the imagination and descriptive ability of all engineering students and also help them analyze problems from different points of view. The accuracy of drawings and speed of execution are not only depending on the quality of the drawing instruments but also depending on human comfortability of drafting table and chair. This paper presents a methodology for conceptual design of ergonomic drafting table using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) with a view to satisfying the users (students) under ergonomic perspective. A case study is also presented in this paper to demonstrate the proposed methodology. Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) survey has been conducted to understand the location of musculoskeletal discomforts. In order to identify and categorize the user needs and their potential influence on user satisfaction, Kano model analysis has been carried in the present study. On the basis of anthropometric data, NMQ survey and critical review of the results of Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), brain storming sessions have been conducted to explore the necessary design requirements. The principle tool of QFD is the House of Quality (HOQ), which maps the user needs and design requirements. While establishing the interrelationship matrix of HOQ, analytic network process (ANP) approach is adopted to address the issue of certain interdependencies between user needs and design requirements as well as the intra-dependencies among them. The proposed methodology paves the way in which the design team develops a drafting table with ergonomic design features to attain complete satisfaction of the users.