WORKSTATION WITH ERGONOMIC FEATURES FOR UNIVERSITI KUALA LUMPUR MIDI CLASSROOM

Abstract

This paper presents a design process of workstation with ergonomic features for University Kuala Lumpur MIDI Classroom. The workstation is expected to support body posture, with the aim to increase comfortability of a user usage for long periods in a class. Besides that, the workstation will ensure a conducive and responsive learning environment. Discomfort and an improper position can negatively affect overall health and productivity. A new design of workstation, which allows user to sit in ideal sitting position suggested by ergonomist and easy transition from one teaching mode to the next. The researcher has designed and developed a new workstation which has ideal ergonomic sitting working position and capable accommodate 50th percentile human size. These positions were used to evaluate the comfort of the workstation. Subjective evaluations, including comparison of the prototype and standard workstation setup, were carried out using human subjects and ergonomic principles. Result showed that the new workstation is much more comfortable, supporting the body in a balanced way. Users have the freedom to stretch and relax in different working positions before they feel any noticeable discomfort. As a result, it lets user sit for a longer period without strain, thus resulting in higher productivity and concentration in classroom.