Design of a power nap facility for night shift workers

Abstract

The number of people working night shifts has been steadily increasing over the past 20 years. Although shift workers have known this for a long time already from first-hand experience, the Dutch national institute for public health and the environment has recently published advice to minimize night (shift) work, as it is detrimental to the physical- and mental health of shift workers. Furthermore, night shifts increase the risk of workplace accidents and put a lot of stress on the social lives of shift workers. Over the years, multiple strategies to combat the negative effects of working night shifts have been developed and used. One method that has recently been gaining popularity in healthcare and industry is power napping. When utilizing power naps to combat the negative effects of night shift work, shift workers take a brief nap during their shift. Power napping during night shifts has been proven to be an effective method for reducing many of the common problems caused by working night shifts. In this graduation project, a new power napping solution, called Asper, has been developed for the company NEWAS B.V.. Asper is the result of an extensive design process with multiple iterations. The process started with an analysis phase, followed by ideation and concept development. During the last phase, product development, the Asper was optimized for manufacturing and assembly. The main goal of the design process was to develop a lay-down power nap solution that enabled night shift workers to take an optimal power nap. Through the integration of multiple design aspects, such as ergonomics, aesthetics, usability and manufacturability, this goal was achieved. The final result is a well-developed design that is ready for its 0th production series.