Nonergonomic

Nonergonomic is an adjective used to describe tools, equipment, environments, or processes that do not conform to ergonomic principles designed to optimize safety, comfort, and efficiency for human users.

Nonergonomic designs may place strain on the body, increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, cause fatigue, reduce performance, and lower job satisfaction. They can arise from budget pressures, legacy production, or design choices that deprioritize human factors.

Common domains include office furniture such as chairs without lumbar support or adjustable height, computer input devices that fail to maintain neutral wrist alignment, hand tools that require awkward grips, and vehicle interiors with poor seating or reach to controls.

Evaluation typically involves ergonomic assessments, user testing, and anthropometric data to identify hazardous postures and repetitive motions. Remedies include redesigns to support neutral postures, enhanced adjustability, improved interfaces and labeling, and accessibility considerations, with user feedback guiding iterations. Although some nonergonomic designs may arise from cost, aesthetics, or constraints, they are generally discouraged in user-centered design and are described descriptively by ergonomics professionals. Related concepts include ergonomics and human factors.