Share Aware: An interactive Pervasive System To Promote Awareness of Workstation Ergomonics

Workstation ergonomic problems have become a major health issue in the office. Sitting in the same place for a long time and improper sitting postures while using computers can lead to a wide range of computer-related injuries. We introduce a system promoting workstation health called ’Share Aware’. ’Share Aware’ is designed to make people aware of how to prevent computer-related injuries and help them build up correct long term computer-using habits. The interactive system consists of a seat cover with embedded sensors which track user posture and sitting time with a screen-based application that represents the data in two modes: intrusive or discreet. Real-time feedback, data log of sitting conditions, and customizability are keywords. This paper discusses the user-centred design and development of the system and how its features benefit the user. These features include context histories, ambient displays, interesting visualisations and self-evaluations.