Ergonomic Panel Angles for Kitchen Appliances with Cooker Knobs

Kitchen appliance control panels come in various designs, each with different parameter values. Of these design parameters, the panel angle is a key factor that impacts both usability and user preference. This study empirically investigates the effects of panel angles on the usability of knob panels...

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Main Authors: Minseok Son, Sehee An, Donghyun Beck
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/23/11352
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author Minseok Son
Sehee An
Donghyun Beck
author_facet Minseok Son
Sehee An
Donghyun Beck
author_sort Minseok Son
collection DOAJ
description Kitchen appliance control panels come in various designs, each with different parameter values. Of these design parameters, the panel angle is a key factor that impacts both usability and user preference. This study empirically investigates the effects of panel angles on the usability of knob panels in kitchen appliances. The research focused on identifying the optimal panel angles for visibility, physical comfort, and user preference. Six different panel angles (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°) were tested through an experimental setup simulating a typical kitchen environment. Twenty participants, with experience in operating kitchen appliances, provided subjective ratings on the three usability factors using a 7-point Likert scale. The results demonstrated significant impacts of panel angle on all three measures, with angles between 45° and 60° showing the highest usability scores. The study highlights that the appropriate panel angle for knob panels should fall between 30° and 90°, with 45° to 60° being the optimal range. The results of this study could contribute to the ergonomic design of kitchen appliances, enhancing usability and minimizing human errors and response times during emergencies.
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spelling doaj-art-b514f2357eee4dedb050a3d1b87fea662025-08-20T01:55:34ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172024-12-0114231135210.3390/app142311352Ergonomic Panel Angles for Kitchen Appliances with Cooker KnobsMinseok Son0Sehee An1Donghyun Beck2Department of Safety Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Safety Engineering, Incheon National University, Incheon 22012, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Safety Engineering, Incheon National University, Incheon 22012, Republic of KoreaKitchen appliance control panels come in various designs, each with different parameter values. Of these design parameters, the panel angle is a key factor that impacts both usability and user preference. This study empirically investigates the effects of panel angles on the usability of knob panels in kitchen appliances. The research focused on identifying the optimal panel angles for visibility, physical comfort, and user preference. Six different panel angles (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°) were tested through an experimental setup simulating a typical kitchen environment. Twenty participants, with experience in operating kitchen appliances, provided subjective ratings on the three usability factors using a 7-point Likert scale. The results demonstrated significant impacts of panel angle on all three measures, with angles between 45° and 60° showing the highest usability scores. The study highlights that the appropriate panel angle for knob panels should fall between 30° and 90°, with 45° to 60° being the optimal range. The results of this study could contribute to the ergonomic design of kitchen appliances, enhancing usability and minimizing human errors and response times during emergencies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/23/11352ergonomicspanel angleskitchen appliancescooker knobsusability
spellingShingle Minseok Son
Sehee An
Donghyun Beck
Ergonomic Panel Angles for Kitchen Appliances with Cooker Knobs
Applied Sciences
ergonomics
panel angles
kitchen appliances
cooker knobs
usability
title Ergonomic Panel Angles for Kitchen Appliances with Cooker Knobs
title_full Ergonomic Panel Angles for Kitchen Appliances with Cooker Knobs
title_fullStr Ergonomic Panel Angles for Kitchen Appliances with Cooker Knobs
title_full_unstemmed Ergonomic Panel Angles for Kitchen Appliances with Cooker Knobs
title_short Ergonomic Panel Angles for Kitchen Appliances with Cooker Knobs
title_sort ergonomic panel angles for kitchen appliances with cooker knobs
topic ergonomics
panel angles
kitchen appliances
cooker knobs
usability
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/23/11352
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