002 User Clearance: Physical Versus Perceptual
Much of what has been observed in our study of constraints and modes of use for constructs such as the ladder, the table setting, and space for swinging golf clubs or tennis rackets, seems to be a function of not only the physical space available to the user and the biomechanical limits of the individual, but also the perceived limits of movement, which are afforded by the space itself weighed against the individual’s mental perception of their own capabilities. This perception arguably plays a much larger role than the physical in determining how an individual can interact with a designed space or object and, more constructively, how these constructs should be designed - an individual’s experience is ruled by what they’re willing to do versus what may be physically possible. These perceptual constraints were
observed in all three exercises and all seemed to boil down to a desire for comfort. In the case of the step ladder, the length of a subject’s reach was heavily influenced by the stability offered by the size and supports of the ladder itself. While it is true that one would be able to reach farther with the ability to step farther out beyond the step’s width to move one’s center of gravity, there is nothing to say that any of the results of our tests were the actual limits of how far one could reach before tipping. One simply stretches till they reach the limits of their comfort, which with a step as narrow as 1.5 feet, is more limiting than it could be. Another prime example is the club / racket exercise. With a given arm length, biomechanical bending limit and club or racket dimensions, the size of a space for the use of these objects should be simple to design. Yet, as was
Architecture 509 | Design Analytics for Ability in Architecture
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