Having always been vertically challenged as a petite female, finding chairs that are comfortable to sit in has become quite a challenge. Whether it is sitting in a couch at home, a desk chair in a classroom, or a chair at work, I always experience some form of discomfort. At 5’2″ my feet do not always touch the ground, and I usually have to sit at the edge of the seat. Even in different forms of transportation I have experienced a disadvantage. Recently I was traveling in an airplane and my feet could not touch the ground. With my feet dangling, my knees became extremely sore, and I could not find any other comfortable position. My grandmother, who is 80 years old and petite like myself, has had knee replacement surgery in the past. She too has had similar complaints, and the problem is magnified even more so for her and other people in her age group who have arthritic joints.
Female, Caucasian, 24, 5’2,” 110 lbs
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During my undergraduate studies I found that it was very uncomfortable sitting on the stools provided to us for long periods of time. They tend to cause a lot of strain on the back. I am also short so my feet do not touch the ground when I am sitting. I feel that these stools should be replaced with chairs similar to what we have in the grad studios.
female, african american, 5′-2″, 150lbs
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I have found that as an architect we are forced to sit way to much behind a computer. I feel most seating isn’t made for long or extended periods of sitting. In addition most desk aren’t designed for the user to be there for such a long time. After awhile legs, arms, wrist and fingers hurt. The design of chairs and desk have a long way to go to become ergonomic and successful. I have personally tried the foam keyboards and putting added seat cushions on my chair. Nothing really seems to add maximum long term comfort. I am waiting for a designer to come up with something remarkable.
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I have been driving a stick shift car for the past year and I have always an issue with the clutch pedal. I have an average height, but I have to move the car seat close to the steering wheel in order to reach that pedal to run the engine or to shift the gears while I’m driving. At the other hand, I don’t usually experience such a problem with the brake or gas pedal neither in my car, nor at any other automatic car that I have driven so far.
(Female, European, 25, 5’5″, 124 lbs)
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Sitting comfortably has always been a problem for me. I’m also vertically challenged and my feet usually dangle. Now I’m pregnant and find that hardly any seats at the University have enough padding to sit on for long periods of time. University students sit in seats for long periods of time and if we’re not comfortable then how can we be expected to listen? I had to bring a pillow for my back for my chair in studio and I always feel that people look at it akwardly. they should’ve just designed the chairs better to begin with.
Female, Caucasian, 5’2″, 120 lbs
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Movie theater seats are extremely uncomfortable. After a 2-3 hour movie ends, I have to stand up and take a few moments to regain feeling in my knees and legs. Newer theater seats can recline which makes the seat more comfortable but this does not resolve the problem of the seat being too high or low. Theater employees will ask you to take your feet off the seat in front of you if you try to elevate them to change position. If there could be a ledge on the seat in front of you, the problems of disturbing people sitting in front of you or sleeping legs could be alleviated. If the ledge could be adjustable then people of all sizes can benefit and be comfortable.
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female, caucasian, 24, 5’3, 115 lbs
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I think this idea of ledge in front of the seating is a great one. This would be beneficial in the lecture halls also. I find myself constantly resituating myself during class so that my legs do not fall asleep. This constant movement is not only distracting me from class, but could be affecting others also. A simple solution, like the ledge, can help to accomodate different sized users without trying to tackle the design of the seat itself.
Female, white, 35 yrs, 5’7″, 170lbs
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Importance of furniture heights is never given any importance. When I visited an assisted living center, I found all chairs to be way too low! People needed assistance to sit and stand- every single time. And if they try to sit / stand on their own, they struggle to do so. The pressure on the seat becomes uneven and this triggers off the fall-detection alarm and staff come running in to see what happened.
The lady who manages the place was saying it makes residents very diffident. and makes them feel that they have to ask for help for everything just because they are old.
Care has to be given both ways- not too high not too low, just right.
Asian female 33 130 lbs 5’3″
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Relating this post to ergonomics, the use of laptops for long periods of time is very painful. If the keyboard is at a comfortable height for your arms, users have to look down, hurting their necks, and the pain is in the arms and wrists if we place our laptops on a pile of books. I understand that laptop design is limited because we need them to be portable, but maybe the screen height can be adjustable?
Female, Asian, 23, 5′-4″, 125 lbs
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Sitting comfortably is definitely an issue for me both at work and when using my laptop at home. At work, my desk is somewhat low to begin with and there is part of an old keyboard tray that hits my knees. My chair is also semi-adjustable but the back will not stay straight up no matter what I try. Laptops promote poor posture as well. I often sit on my couch because it is more comfortable than a chair. However, the screen makes me look down and hurts my neck. I also prefer to use a mouse instead of the touch pad and having a mouse on the couch next to me hurts my wrist. The issue of using a laptop is an issue of personal preference, but it seems like there might be something in each situation that would be helpful.
Male, white, 23, 5′-8″, 180 lbs
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