Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!gatech!mcnc!ecsvax!ames.arc.nasa.gov From: elroy!gryphon.COM!mhnadel@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Miriam Nadel) Newsgroups: comp.society.women Subject: Re: Women and Ergonomics Message-ID: <6806@ecsvax.UUCP> Date: 10 Apr 89 15:28:35 GMT References: <6785@ecsvax.UUCP> Sender: skyler@ecsvax.UUCP Organization: Trailing Edge Technology, Redondo Beach, CA Lines: 31 Approved: skyler@ecsvax.uncecs.edu (Moderator -- Trish Roberts) Comments-to: comp-women-request@cs.purdue.edu Submissions-to: comp-women@cs.purdue.edu Lines: 28 I received a lot of mail and I've seen a few followup postings regarding my complaint about the design of the Mac mouse. What I apparently should have clarified is that I've used a number of other mice so that it isn't an issue of unfamiliar motions; I also think that the shortness of the time that I can tolerate using that mouse is an indication that I'm correct about why it's difficult for me to use. One person who sent me email and another person I work with have commented in the opposite direction - they have large hands and have found some mice awkward to use for that reason. The bigger issue I was getting at is that it would be good design practice to take into account the variability of human configurations. The expansion of women's roles in the past few decades means an increase in that variability. In this particular case, I know that I have very small hands (e.g. I can fit both my thumbs into my x-SO's class ring). I also know that women's hands are generally smaller than men's (though, the distributions do overlap substantially). Were I a manufacturer who realized this, I might offer a size range or look at different designs to see if it mattered. For example, I have no trouble with a very flat mouse. The sudden bend in the middle seems to be what stresses my wrist on the Mac mouse. I haven't used rounded mice enough to really tell but they seem to be inbetween. (They're also usually smaller.) Miriam Nadel -- Watch Jeopardy April 14th! mhnadel@gryphon.COM !gryphon!mhnadel