Office Furniture Never Meant for You: The ergonomics fail when it comes to women
The desk is beautiful with thick see-through glass that makes it float in the office corner in my apartment. It almost disappears because the glass has provided a dimension I wanted; “invisibility.” For sure, it’s not invisible, but it doesn’t stick out like wooden desks, and that’s why I bought it.
Next came the chair. Comfortable with thick cushions, a high back and well-proportioned armrests plus I can raise or lower it. Little did I suspect that all of it was not designed with me in mind. Not a thought had been given to my “petite” arm length that necessitates my pulling myself cheek-by-jowl with the desk. It’s discouraging.
As so often in furniture designs to accommodate the human form, the templates, data sets, and models were meant to please and pamper anyone who was male, and that’s not me.
Furniture design, especially for use in office environments, has always assumed that there is a separate need for men and women. Few, however, have looked at what these designs truly represent; it was…
