Murray Peterson wrote:

SpamFree wrote in
:

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about just take the handles of
the average shower faucet: short lever, long lever, cross, ball, ...
Should it turn right or left? What level of sensitivity should the
faucet have? This is not opinion! There is a right answer although the
right answer may not be implementable because of costs or aesthetics.

I don't think you will find a book describing the ergonomics of faucet
handles, and some of your questions won't have any "right answer". Faucet
handles should be easy to grasp, obvious in function, consistent in their
actions, and require low force levels to move. Everything else is style.

OK, that's ergonomics but it's not as obvious as you make out. Is a
"knob" (usually cheap and often crystal) type easy to grasp with soapy
hands? I have some cross types (Chicago Faucets) for my bucket filler
which are lethal: the arms of the cross are too long and too sharp.
Lever types (especially singles) are not obvious in function, at least
to me. The first time I saw one (in a hotel somewhere) I asked for an
instruction manual. "Low force levels" would seem to be correct but
really you don't want such low force levels that the lever moves on
its own, nor that the slightest nudge from you goes from boiling to
freezing.

But if you do the Consumer Reports -type testing or where appropriate
the epidemiologist's scientific type you'll take all the above and
many more items into consideration and arrive at a correct solution.
It's this work and testing that I hope someone else has done and
published.


a book that describes human body sizes, movements, and the required
spaces:

Human Dimensions & Interior Space
Juliues Panero and MArtin Zelnik
ISBN 0-85139-4574

I'm not sure that's quite what I'm after but thanks anyway.

If you want recommendations for your shower, just ask. I am certainly
happy with my latest shower, including the faucet handles.

Sample size = one. Category = anecdote. Utility = (nicely) modest.

Now if I could collect a few thousand people like this, structure
their responses, have them shift to other people's homes (get some
experience), I could write my own book. g