11: Understanding Ergonomics with Prof. Gaur Gopal Ray.

Today I have Prof. Gaur Gopal Ray with us on Audiogyan. Prof. Ray has been a faculty member at the Industrial Design Centre since December 1979\. He served as a Head of Department at IDC from 2009 to 2013\. He is also Associated Professor of the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IITB. Obtained his MSc and PhD degrees in Physiology with a specialization in the area of Ergonomics from University of Calcutta. Professor Ray has been honoured with UNDP Fellowship (1981) and ‘Prof. J.N.Maitra' Memorial Gold Medal award (1998). He was the honorary president and founding member of Indian Society of Ergonomics as well and was the chairman of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) PGD Section 15 ergonomics and is member of the IDC committee of the IEA. 1\. You work in the multiple area of ergonomics like product, workstation, automobile and more… Can you please set the context by telling us, what is ergonomics and how is it related to design? 2\. How can things be ergonomically designed for mass since it’s a very customised design? 3\. Can you tell a particular case study in which study of ergonomics deeply helped users? 4\. What is the importance of ergonomic workstations in today’s society? IT, Shopkeeper and more… 5\. At what stage should design organisations consider ergonomics as a priority given the infrastructure of the country.