“Constantly make slight invisible adjustments to an activity to adapt to the needs of those taking part and ensure that it continues to work for its intended purpose” (Caulton and Dickson 2007)
In its simplest form ergonomics is the science of work. It is the study of work, how it is done and how it could be made better. In class today we took a look at three key aspects in regards to ergonomics; person, activity and environment and the relationships between these three factors which i am going to discuss in regards to shopping.
Person
As a student living in Dunedin away from home and no longer under the wing of the parents, it is now required for me to do my own grocery shopping for food, this is essential for my survival. I also shop for leisure and save up money so i can go out for the day with a friend or by myself to purchase new clothes, cosmetics, gifts etc. In regards to productivity, when i am buying food or clothes or whatever it may be i am putting my money in to the economy. Going to the markets on Saturday mornings and purchasing locally grown produce is a good opportunity to help support the local economy.
Shopping is something i am familiar with, i feel comfortable doing it and it comes to me quite naturally. Its something i can do independently or with others and can take me a couple of minutes to a few hours to do, depending on the situation. Its part of my weekly routine to go do my grocery shopping, generally every Tuesday and i occasionally go in to town for leisure shopping or just window shopping once a week. It can be quite chaotic or stressful at times, there are financial demands that come with shopping and keeping to a budget can difficult.
In terms of spirituality, I am motivated to shop by the fact that i need food to survive, the desire for something new and the experience it brings. It can be a great opportunity to bond with friends, to get inspired by new clothing styles and peoples creativeness and talent.
Occupation
There are certain demands that are associated with shopping, depending on what type of shopping you engage in. There are physical demands such as being able to get around a supermarket, being able to try on clothes in a store, the ability to tolerate standing for a long period of time, being able to carry bags of items etc. However now days thanks to a wonderful thing called technology and internet, you can do online shopping which simply requires you to scroll down a page, select what you want and make an online payment for whatever goods you want. Online shopping has certainly taken off over the past few years and is becoming more and more popular for purchasing clothes, furniture, food, electronics; anything you can think of. online shopping takes away the physical requirements for shopping, you don't even need to leave your seat and you could purchase an entire new wardrobe. Having reduced the physical demands of shopping, it is now something that is more accessible to everyone, particularly those who may have physical restrictions
However online shopping is not the way for everyone, there is certainly a whole experience that is associated with shopping, whatever it may be for.
Environment
Shopping no longer takes place in a mall, a supermarket or down at your local markets. It is no longer limited to these physical environments however they do still exist. Online shopping has taken away from the physical aspect of shopping and the act of going out and being in the physical, cultural and social environment of shopping. There is still a demand for supermarkets, malls and shops however as we still see new ones popping up all over the place. There is real culture associated with shopping for example going to the markets on a Saturday morning there is food, live music, fresh produce and the exchanging of goods between locals. When it comes to clothes shopping the culture of the environment is consumerism. Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism). There is always something new when it comes to shopping, when you have purchased one thing there is always the next thing. This is where a competitive streak comes in to shopping, not only for the shop or service, but also for the client. There is a social demand to have the next big thing, the newest iPhone or latest fashion.
I have just touched briefly on ergonomics and i hope to get in to the more 'nitty gritty' aspects of it over the next few weeks. Shopping is a complex activity and there is a lot to cover as there are different 'types' of shopping but i hope to explore it in more detail. For me; shopping is something i do out of necessity but also as something i enjoy doing. There are no physical limitations for me when it comes to shopping as i can choose to go out to the mall, the supermarket or markets to go shopping or i can shop online. The only limitation would be financial which is often the case!
As a student living in Dunedin away from home and no longer under the wing of the parents, it is now required for me to do my own grocery shopping for food, this is essential for my survival. I also shop for leisure and save up money so i can go out for the day with a friend or by myself to purchase new clothes, cosmetics, gifts etc. In regards to productivity, when i am buying food or clothes or whatever it may be i am putting my money in to the economy. Going to the markets on Saturday mornings and purchasing locally grown produce is a good opportunity to help support the local economy.
Shopping is something i am familiar with, i feel comfortable doing it and it comes to me quite naturally. Its something i can do independently or with others and can take me a couple of minutes to a few hours to do, depending on the situation. Its part of my weekly routine to go do my grocery shopping, generally every Tuesday and i occasionally go in to town for leisure shopping or just window shopping once a week. It can be quite chaotic or stressful at times, there are financial demands that come with shopping and keeping to a budget can difficult.
In terms of spirituality, I am motivated to shop by the fact that i need food to survive, the desire for something new and the experience it brings. It can be a great opportunity to bond with friends, to get inspired by new clothing styles and peoples creativeness and talent.
Occupation
There are certain demands that are associated with shopping, depending on what type of shopping you engage in. There are physical demands such as being able to get around a supermarket, being able to try on clothes in a store, the ability to tolerate standing for a long period of time, being able to carry bags of items etc. However now days thanks to a wonderful thing called technology and internet, you can do online shopping which simply requires you to scroll down a page, select what you want and make an online payment for whatever goods you want. Online shopping has certainly taken off over the past few years and is becoming more and more popular for purchasing clothes, furniture, food, electronics; anything you can think of. online shopping takes away the physical requirements for shopping, you don't even need to leave your seat and you could purchase an entire new wardrobe. Having reduced the physical demands of shopping, it is now something that is more accessible to everyone, particularly those who may have physical restrictions
However online shopping is not the way for everyone, there is certainly a whole experience that is associated with shopping, whatever it may be for.
Environment
Shopping no longer takes place in a mall, a supermarket or down at your local markets. It is no longer limited to these physical environments however they do still exist. Online shopping has taken away from the physical aspect of shopping and the act of going out and being in the physical, cultural and social environment of shopping. There is still a demand for supermarkets, malls and shops however as we still see new ones popping up all over the place. There is real culture associated with shopping for example going to the markets on a Saturday morning there is food, live music, fresh produce and the exchanging of goods between locals. When it comes to clothes shopping the culture of the environment is consumerism. Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism). There is always something new when it comes to shopping, when you have purchased one thing there is always the next thing. This is where a competitive streak comes in to shopping, not only for the shop or service, but also for the client. There is a social demand to have the next big thing, the newest iPhone or latest fashion.
I have just touched briefly on ergonomics and i hope to get in to the more 'nitty gritty' aspects of it over the next few weeks. Shopping is a complex activity and there is a lot to cover as there are different 'types' of shopping but i hope to explore it in more detail. For me; shopping is something i do out of necessity but also as something i enjoy doing. There are no physical limitations for me when it comes to shopping as i can choose to go out to the mall, the supermarket or markets to go shopping or i can shop online. The only limitation would be financial which is often the case!
No comments:
Post a Comment