{"id":304,"date":"2017-05-23T18:45:44","date_gmt":"2017-05-23T22:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hypnap.com\/blog\/?p=304"},"modified":"2017-10-19T16:13:42","modified_gmt":"2017-10-19T20:13:42","slug":"empathetic-design-shines-at-neocon-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hypnap.com\/blog\/empathetic-design-shines-at-neocon-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Empathetic Design Shines at NeoCon 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Chloe Hill<\/p>\n

We attended the 2016 NeoCon tradeshow, a design exposition and conference for commercial and public interiors, to gain insight into the way design is used to enhance the health and wellness of people occupying different environments and how the Hypnap TruRest can better meet people\u2019s needs in different settings.<\/p>\n

Ironically even though commercial and public settings are meant to accommodate different people doing different activities, too often furniture and surroundings are one size fits all and are not designed to meet the mental and physical needs of their occupants. The onus is on us to adapt. Unfortunately adapting usually means placing our body in unhealthy positions for extended periods or forcing us into unhealthy repetitive movements or patterns of behavior. Usually not uplifting, these environments often take their toll on our mental health as well.<\/p>\n

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Think about the different settings you may find yourself in throughout the day. How many times have you left work, an airplane cabin, a classroom or even a store or shop aching and mentally exhausted?<\/p>\n

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Common commercial\/ public spaces<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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No matter what is going on in your life, chances are your environment and setting contribute to your level of happiness.<\/p>\n

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Some problems we face include neck and back strain from uncomfortable chairs and sitting for too long. New studies show<\/a> that sitting for too long can also increase your risk for obesity, cardiovascular problems, diabetes and a host of other health problems. Standing for too long also has negative health effects causing fatigue, back and foot problems and increasing your risk for carotid artery disease.<\/p>\n

Staring at screens and exposure to fluorescent lighting can cause eye strain, migraines, anxiety and a number of other health problems.<\/p>\n

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Neck, back and eye strain (text neck) using laptops and other mobile devices<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Laptops and tablets are not at an optimal and comfortable height in relation to our faces which creates neck (\u201ctext neck\u201d) and eye strain for the user.<\/p>\n

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The aesthetics of our surroundings can also effect our mental health. For example, poorly organized spaces which promote clutter, the quality of materials in our surroundings and the quantity of natural lighting can all impact our mindset.<\/p>\n

Yet there is so much that can be done through design to enhance well-being!<\/p>\n

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Herman Miller Exhibit<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Furniture companies at NeoCon are trying to address this problem with more ergonomically and empathetically designed furniture and environments featured at their exhibits. In other words, spaces and objects that improve aesthetics and adapt to the individual (instead of vice versa) to enhance one\u2019s well being.<\/p>\n

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Herman Miller\u2019s exhibit featured connected desks that track and record data on your movements and configure a plan of action for you based on your personal stats. These desks alerted you if you were sitting or standing for too long by automatically raising or lowering, hence forcing you to adjust your position.<\/p>\n

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Renew Desk at the Herman Miller Exhibit<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Desks at Human Scale featured a manual height adjustment.<\/p>\n

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Float Desk at Human Scale<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

If you do find yourself in the seated position for an extended amount of time there were chairs on display that were designed to reduce the unhealthful impacts on the body and allow you to sit more comfortably. Chairs included a plethora of adjustment features and components designed to better conform and support the body to reduce chronic pain. For example, the depth of Herman Miller\u2019s Mirra Chair seat pan is adjustable. This provides more support for larger, taller users and reduces compression of the back of the knee for smaller, shorter users.<\/p>\n

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