Creative Design and Conceptual Development of a Portable Camping Cooking Workstation Based on Human Factors Engineering

With the rapid proliferation of outdoor camping culture, camping equipment has expanded from the professional adventure sector to mainstream leisure scenarios. However, camping cooking equipment currently available on the market often suffers from inadequate human factors consideration—users frequently encounter challenges such as disorganized workspaces, awkward operating postures, excessive cognitive load under low-light conditions, and equipment assembly/disassembly processes that deviate from natural mental models, all of which directly impact camping safety and overall experience quality. This study focuses on the design of portable camping cooking workstations and employs a dual research methodology combining “literature review” and “real-world fieldwork”: on one hand, it systematically reviews relevant theories and existing research in human factors engineering, outdoor equipment design, and cognitive ergonomics; on the other hand, it conducts field observations and semi-structured interviews with a total of 26 participants—including members of university outdoor clubs and random campsite users—to document typical cooking task sequences and pain-point scenarios.

The study identifies five major core human factors issues: abnormal static lumbar flexion resulting from insufficient work surface height; a mismatch between the storage space for small objects and the search strategies employed; a significant degradation in the operability of fasteners under conditions of low flexibility or when wearing gloves; spatial relationships between fuel and heat sources that contradict risk perception intuition; and the lack of zoned cooking workflows, which poses risks of cross-contamination and burns. Based on task analysis and human-machine interface principles, this study proposes a creative conceptual design for a “Folding/Unfolding Modular Cooking Workstation,” which integrates five key human factors: adjustable work height, magnetic quick-release storage, tactile-coded controls, a heat source isolation duct system, and a single-handed operable snap-fit mechanism. The value of this paper lies in integrating structured human factors engineering analysis methods into a creative, exploratory product design process, demonstrating that human factors principles are not merely a remedial tool for “improving existing products,” but rather a core driver of innovation during the conceptualization phase.

Keywords: Human factors engineering, Camping equipment, Creative conceptual design, Task analysis, Cognitive ergonomics.