Tube train wins design and ergonomics award

Bombardier’s S Stock train, which was designed for London Underground’s Metropolitan Line, has won the 2011 Institute of Ergonomics Design Award. This is the second year the Institute has run the award, which aims to increase awareness of the value of using ergonomics in the design process, and attracted short-listed entries from a very wide ranging background including a bobsleigh and a healthcare risk assessment toolkit. It will be presented to the winning team at the Institute’s Ergonomics & Human Factors Conference which takes place from the 12 Apr 2011 – 14 Apr 2011.

The award, sponsored by design and ergonomics consultancy CCD, is given to recently launched products which can demonstrate substantive ergonomics input, quality of design innovation, ‘client’ and ‘user’ satisfaction as well as success in the market place.

The winner was chosen from a short-list of five by a distinguished panel of experts:

• Tanya Heasman of the Consumers Association,
• John Wood, MD CCD Design and Ergonomics Ltd,
• Marianne Guldbrandsen of the Design Council,
• Chris Ramsden President of the Chartered Society of Designers,
• Robin Levien, Master of the Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry,
• Tom Stewart Past President IEHF,
• Dave O’Neill, CEO IEHF,
• Peter Buckle Recently Professor of Ergonomics at Sussex University,
• Martin Bontoft, User research and design strategy,
• Ken Garland Graphic Designer,
• Mark Harnett Ricability Usability Forum.

Lead Judge, John Wood, Managing Director of CCD says, “Last year, the Award made a significant impact with designers and I’m delighted that interest levels have grown this year. We have seen some very high standards in some of the entries.

“Ergonomics plays a central role in creating commercially successful products, and I hope the award will continue to encourage designers to put users at the centre of everything they do.”

Runners up were:

• The bob sleigh which helped Amy Williams to a Gold Medal at the Winter Olympics
• A chair for the education sector which improves on current designs
• PHA Toolkit which aims to reduce medical errors which cause harm to patients
• A remote control for a warehouse picker which helps improve productivity

Other entrants came from a wide range of sectors including gardening, health-care, mobility aids, furniture design and household products.

The Ergonomics and Human Factors Design Award is awarded annually and has been established to highlight the role of ergonomics and human factors in successful product design.