Can ergonomics make the difference between a good product and a great one? According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
The product in question was the granddaddy of sports beverages, Gatorade. Product packaging designers at Metaphase Design Group attended sporting events, visited construction sites, studied lip size and shape, measured the bottle’s flow rate versus the rate of consumption, and analyzed hand size and strength of potential users. The result of all of this research: a simple, but really cool-looking bottle, ergonomically designed to fit the user’s physique and lifestyle. It was also change that, once implemented, saw Gatorade’s sales jump by 23 percent.
Bryce Rutter, founder of Metaphase, notes that it’s more than just a hip or trendy look that sells a product. For Rutter, it comes down to the ergonomics of a product