Ergonomics: The Snuggie

Sometimes our consumer habits make us want products that are practical.  Other times, we find that we tend to go for products that can be used on a daily basis. And then there are those moments when we crave a product that makes a statement. Luckily for us, there’s a product out there that happens to be all three of these: the Snuggie.

Couch potatoes unite!

The Snuggie (also known as the Slanket, the Snuggler, the Cuddlee, the Dreamie and my personal favorite, the Toasty Wrap) rose to fame as the popular fleece blanket with sleeves between 2008 and 2009. In response to the entertaining commercials promoting it, the Snuggie became an instant hit in pop culture as well as a product of high demand during the holiday gift-giving season.

With over 4 million Snuggies sold in 2009, this sleeved blanket has quickly taken America by storm one couch potato at a time while also meeting some of the areas of ergonomics: safety, comfort, ease of use, performance and aesthetics. It is through these five areas that designers like us can observe the interaction between the Snuggie and its users in order to ensure that health and productivity are met.

From observing Snuggie usage and by looking at the overall practicality of the product, I would say that the Snuggie indeed meets the ergonomic area of “safety”. Okay, so maybe we can’t expect a Snuggie to save us from something like, say, a fire or a raging grizzly bear trying to protect its cubs. But if we look at the Snuggie’s purpose—or a typical blanket’s purpose for that matter—we see that this product does meet a certain sense of safety. What happens when we cuddle up with a Snuggie? We feel warm. We feel secure. And most of all, we feel safe. Even if in the back of our minds we know that this particular Snuggie won’t save us from a physical threat, we know that we can still experience a feeling of safety when wearing it. (And as far as I know, I have not heard of any death-related Snuggie freak accidents, so I still stand by my claim. However, there have been reports of alleged weight gain and increases in laziness.)

For the ergonomic area of “comfort”, the Snuggie definitely passes with flying colors. Made from soft fleece material, the Snuggie stresses its ability to provide comfort to its users—not only in a tactile sense, but also in the sense of leaving its users handsfree to do other activities, such as reading, watching TV, etc. By providing comfort in multiple ways, we can safely assume that the Snuggie abides to the second area of ergonomics.

The third area of “ease of use” highly coincides with the previous area of comfort. In its quest to provide all couch potatoes and sporting event goers with a blanket of absolute comfort, the Snuggie has also accomplished the task of being user-friendly. Resembling a bathrobe that you simply wear backwards, the Snuggie is very straightforward and clear-cut when it comes to directions. One can simply figure out how to use the Snuggie by looking at the promotional pictures or ads that adorn the packaging. And because wearing it is practically effortless, we know that the overall concept of the Snuggie is not hard to grasp.

The areas of “comfort” and “ease of use” are pointless if the product does not fulfill the fourth area of “performance”. The Snuggie itself cannot physically perform on its own like a car or of an electronic. However, with the help of the user, the Snuggie is able to perform by providing warmth and coziness to the user’s well-being, ultimately serving its primary purpose as a blanket while also allowing the user more convenience with its built-in sleeves. So all-in-all, the Snuggie proves to be up to par with performance, even if it may cause its users to be less productive.

Ellen Degeneres sporting her own Snuggie

Finally, we look at the fifth ergonomic stage of “aesthetics”. I’ll be honest: the Snuggie is not as visually pleasing as one may hope. The fact that the Snuggie looks like a backwards bathrobe has made it the target of many jokes and parodies including on the Jay Leno and Ellen Degeneres talk shows (above). Often compared to a “medieval monk” robe or the attire that a cult might wear, the Snuggie has had its fair share of criticism regarding its overall appearance and does not measure up to other products when it comes to the field of aesthetics. But despite the goofiness given off from users wearing the Snuggie, this product has ultimately sold millions. Perhaps aesthetics is slowly becoming a less important aspect of design.

Through ergonomics, we are able to see the effectiveness of various products as they interact with consumers and affect their everyday lives. By fulfilling practically every area of ergonomics, the Snuggie has proven that it’s an innovative product of design that is safe for one’s health and is practical in many senses. So knowing this, you can go home and cuddle up with your Snuggie knowing that it passes all the stages of design criticism.