The ergonomic casino floor
The ergonomic casino floor
Slot cabinets, chairs and other products pull out all the stops to give comfort to customers and convenience to casino operators
By Darby Harris
It isn't really a new idea, since the scientific discipline of ergonomics took hold decades ago. But the slow spread of ergonomic engineering has finally reached the casino industry, and there's no sign of turning back.
"The trend that's happening with casinos is that-especially from a design standpoint-they're trying to make the casino more of a warm, comfortable, desirable place to be, as opposed to just a big warehouse space with high ceilings and rows of machines," said Jack McNamara, Southern regional sales manager for AC Coin & Slot. "So it was a natural evolution for basically the slot bases and chairs to become part of this new environment."
This means comfort and a sense of security for both casinos and customers, and that means ergonomic design.
In the beginning
Although now more integrated into the world of leisure, ergonomics originated in the world of work.
"Ergonomics came out of a study done by the Occupational Safety and Health Agency years ago when they were worried about whether computers gave off radiation," said Steve Odden, vice president of sales and marketing for MLP Seating Corp., who came out of the office products and commercial furniture industries, and has been involved in ergonomics for over 30 years. "What they found in studying that is that if the work area around a person was made more comfortable, that they would be more productive, they would take less breaks, and that they would have less physical problems in the office environment," Odden said.
Applied to casinos, comfort intuitively means patrons will play more, leave less and be more inclined to come back. But imbuing a machine-based environment with coziness presents challenges. In the past, people had to accommodate hulking boxes of wiring and vacuum tubes. Technological advances increasingly knock down such barriers, leading to innovations all the way down the line.
Eliminating coins was a big step, as it opened floor space previously reserved for coin buckets and machinery. "With the advent of ticket-in/ticket-out, we said, 'Well, okay, now we have this big open box, and what can we do with it?'" McNamara said, explaining the origin of AC Coin's ErgoBase(tm) footrest.
LCD screens and better processors "have given us more flexibility in designing ergonomic and exciting products," said Katie Stage, senior marketing manager with Atronic Americas.
Inspiration for elements of ergonomic design in casino products can come from related environments, like office-based business, and related fields, like the video game industry.
Mike Mitchell, vice president of game development at Bally Technologies, cited insight from a visit to a video game show in Los Angeles. "After spending three or four hours there, the bell rang very loud that said, 'We really need to go to a widescreen format,'" Mitchell said. Game controllers were ergonomic, and all games were widescreen rather than square, Mitchell said, citing inspiration for Bally's CineVision(tm) series of games.
Standing out from the competition and past designs is another reason for ergonomics. Gary Platt Manufacturing's X-Tended Play(r) line of chairs came about partly because of a request by client Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. "They requested something different, and they sort of said, 'Here's what we're looking for,'" said Bob Yabroff, president of Gary Platt Manufacturing. "It's something new in the industry, because they're a pretty cutting-edge type of casino."
The drawing board
Making casino products ergonomic required overhauling existing designs, focusing on the player's comfort rather than the machine's traditional shape.
Ergonomics says a person should be in the least stressful position possible when performing a task, Odden said. This typically means the environment should be adjustable, with objects within easy reach and screens at eye level.
In developing WMS Gaming's Bluebird(tm) video cabinet, Director of Hardware Development Norm Wurz and his team studied the gambling environment. "We actually went and sat in casinos and just watched people play, and tried to establish some type of a play pattern on how they utilize the equipment," Wurz said.
Specific improvements came about because of player habits. "One of the things that we observed during the field work that we did was that they continually had those player tracking cards stretched across the display and out of reach, and it just seemed so uncomfortable and just a pain for the players," Wurz said. With the Bluebird(tm) upright, everything is within easy reach, he said.
McNamara engaged in similar research for the development of ErgoBase(tm). The footrest was designed, McNamara said, because players were seen leaning forward on their stools, with one foot on the floor. The footrest alleviates that more stressful position.
Stage said observed player habits also drove the design of Atronic's cabinet. "For example, watching players leaning against the machines to play, or seeing players hold their arms to support them because the button panel was too high, inspired the height adjustable feature of e-motion(tm)," Stage said.
Comfort, convenience
WMS Gaming's Bluebird(tm) slant and upright systems were based on years of development and testing, Wurz said. "There were a few specific areas that we addressed initially, and that was the monitor location, the button panel location and the player interface, which we were referring to as the work triangle, kind of borrowing from the architecture terms."
Everything is within easy reach on the Bluebird(tm) upright, Wurz said, giving players greater convenience. The cabinet was also designed to be convenient for casino operators.
"We tried to take what were considered the more serviced items and positioned them-if not in a more convenient way-attached them in a way that would be more easily exchanged if there were to be an issue that came up," Wurz said.
Over 80 percent of the cabinet components are interchangeable between the poker and video and stepper reel cabinets, meaning less parts for casinos to stock.
The aesthetics of the Bluebird(tm) cabinet were meant to be a "triple threat," appealing to casinos, pleasing customers and rewarding WMS with brand recognition without the splashy use of logos. It was part of the goal to "have people be able to walk a casino-because we do know everything pretty much looked the same up until that point-and to give them the beacon, if you will, for where to go to get to a WMS product," Wurz said.
The internals were also revamped with Bluebird(tm). "The aesthetic will get you the first quarter, but if the content inside the cabinet isn't compelling enough to have the players sit there and play over a long period of time, you won't really see the benefit of the ergonomics," Wurz said.
Casinos want to keep players in their seats as long as possible, Yabroff said, so the chairs produced by Gary Platt Manufacturing are designed to further that goal. "About five years ago we went from traditional seating, which we've been doing for the last 40 years, to a whole different concept of basically wanting to make the customer more comfortable. And how we did that is we added lumbars in the back, and a contoured seat, and it's all molded foam to do that."
The X-Tended Play(r) Line of chairs started off with the Sierra, with lumbar support in the back and the shaped seat. "Then when we introduced the Gazelle, we did molded wings in the side to give you support in the side and in the lower back," Yabroff said. "It's really three positions of lumbar."
Yabroff said the designs' popularity is evident. "It's very hard to quantify, but basically the customers tell the casinos they like it or they don't like it. If I don't like it, I ain't coming back," Yabroff said. "We get huge feedback from the casino and a lot of testimonials saying they went from the old standard chair to the new X-Tended Play(r), and the customers just love it."
AC Coin & Slot addressed comfort and convenience for the customer with ErgoBase(tm)-one of its major features being a lower base height. "Lowering the slot base gets the machine lower and gets the player more involved with the dynamic of the game," McNamara said.
Additionally, the lower base "increases the sight line in a casino," McNamara pointed out. "So when you're walking around, you're looking for another denomination to play, or another area of the casino to go to, it helps you see the signage better and make your way around a little easier."
Operators were also considered in crafting ErgoBase(tm), McNamara said, noting the design's removable footrest. "That allows easy access to the wiring that's run for all the games."
But the base only makes up half the pie, McNamara said, while the chair and its relative height and distance from the base make up the other half. "We spent a tremendous amount of time and effort developing that best ratio of chair height and distance from the base, and the slot base height itself, and we did that with varying heights of players," he said.
Giving options
Atronic's cabinet addresses varying player heights in another way. "e-motion(tm) is the only height-adjustable slot machine in our industry," Stage said. "Players can move the playfield up or down by pushing buttons on each side of the screens, allowing them to place the button panel at the most comfortable level and eliminate 'arm strain.'"
The ergonomic design addresses eye strain as well. "e-motion(tm) features dual TFT screens, each positioned at the ideal viewing angle for players."
The cabinet uniquely suits special needs gamblers. "Players in wheelchairs especially appreciate the height adjustable feature of e-motion(tm)," Stage said. "e-motion(tm) games are the only ones with button panels they can comfortably reach."
To ease playing action, controls are divided by function. "The e-motion(tm) cabinet was designed with separate player 'business' and playing areas. All 'business' functions, such as those relating to money or tickets (bill validator, ticket printer, cash out buttons) and to player tracking, are located on the right side of the machine," Stage said. "All playing functionality (screens, play buttons) is centered on the machine, which allows the player to completely concentrate on the game once the 'business' is completed.
"e-motion(tm) also features left and right-handed 'repeat the bet' buttons, which are much appreciated by 'lefties' and by players who play for long periods of time," Stage said.
Bally Technologies' CineVision(tm) entices customers into lengthy playing times with a total gaming experience. "Because of the slant configuration of the game, it's very comfortable to sit at, very easy on the players' eyes, their posture-they feel very secure," Mitchell said. "CineVision(tm) allows the player to become very immersed in the game, with a very high-end sound system that surrounds and captivates the player."
A rest pad cushions on the arm rest, with player interaction pieces in easy view. The 26-inch widescreen is also designed to be easier on the eyes than traditional models.
Elements that may not be technically ergonomic were still designed with comfort in mind. The deck, for example, was included for possible beverage space, but ended up also being used for cell phones, keys, purses and other items. "(Customers) feel very comfortable with that, that their personal belongings are right there in front of them."
The CineVision(tm) seat enhances that sense of security. "When you compare it to other slants, we allow the player to get very up underneath the slot machine because of the way the arm rest is made," Mitchell said. "So they can really get up and get comfortable and get as close to the machine as they'd like, kind of like a slant."
Choosing wisely
At MLP Seating Corp., Odden cautioned that seating is only one part of the ergonomics picture, and even ergonomics aren't a scientifically proven boon in the casino industry.
"What we try to do when we talk to casinos is educate them on what ergonomics is all about, and understand the value they're getting for the money," Odden said.
"We try to let them know that if a person isn't sitting in the chair properly, then no amount of ergonomics is going to benefit that person," he said. "And if the machine isn't designed ergonomically, even if a person is sitting properly in the chair, then the design of the machine can take away from the ergonomics of the chair."
Odden explained how the company's approach is summed up with a new marketing concept, called "Options Anyone?"
"What we try to do is not make judgments, and make a product that meets the needs and opinions of a specific client," he said. This may or may not include ergonomic features like molded foam and lumbar support. Clients can pick and choose virtually every seating feature. "We really start almost with a blank palette and build up a product based on what the client's needs are," Odden said.
This flexibility also applies to cost. "There's always a less expensive way to do things as well as or better than the expensive way," Odden said. "What we try to do is find the most cost effective solution without sacrificing quality or durability."
Slot cabinets, chairs and other products pull out all the stops to give comfort to customers and convenience to casino operators
By Darby Harris
It isn't really a new idea, since the scientific discipline of ergonomics took hold decades ago. But the slow spread of ergonomic engineering has finally reached the casino industry, and there's no sign of turning back.
"The trend that's happening with casinos is that-especially from a design standpoint-they're trying to make the casino more of a warm, comfortable, desirable place to be, as opposed to just a big warehouse space with high ceilings and rows of machines," said Jack McNamara, Southern regional sales manager for AC Coin & Slot. "So it was a natural evolution for basically the slot bases and chairs to become part of this new environment."
This means comfort and a sense of security for both casinos and customers, and that means ergonomic design.
In the beginning
Although now more integrated into the world of leisure, ergonomics originated in the world of work.
"Ergonomics came out of a study done by the Occupational Safety and Health Agency years ago when they were worried about whether computers gave off radiation," said Steve Odden, vice president of sales and marketing for MLP Seating Corp., who came out of the office products and commercial furniture industries, and has been involved in ergonomics for over 30 years. "What they found in studying that is that if the work area around a person was made more comfortable, that they would be more productive, they would take less breaks, and that they would have less physical problems in the office environment," Odden said.
Applied to casinos, comfort intuitively means patrons will play more, leave less and be more inclined to come back. But imbuing a machine-based environment with coziness presents challenges. In the past, people had to accommodate hulking boxes of wiring and vacuum tubes. Technological advances increasingly knock down such barriers, leading to innovations all the way down the line.
Eliminating coins was a big step, as it opened floor space previously reserved for coin buckets and machinery. "With the advent of ticket-in/ticket-out, we said, 'Well, okay, now we have this big open box, and what can we do with it?'" McNamara said, explaining the origin of AC Coin's ErgoBase(tm) footrest.
LCD screens and better processors "have given us more flexibility in designing ergonomic and exciting products," said Katie Stage, senior marketing manager with Atronic Americas.
Inspiration for elements of ergonomic design in casino products can come from related environments, like office-based business, and related fields, like the video game industry.
Mike Mitchell, vice president of game development at Bally Technologies, cited insight from a visit to a video game show in Los Angeles. "After spending three or four hours there, the bell rang very loud that said, 'We really need to go to a widescreen format,'" Mitchell said. Game controllers were ergonomic, and all games were widescreen rather than square, Mitchell said, citing inspiration for Bally's CineVision(tm) series of games.
Standing out from the competition and past designs is another reason for ergonomics. Gary Platt Manufacturing's X-Tended Play(r) line of chairs came about partly because of a request by client Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. "They requested something different, and they sort of said, 'Here's what we're looking for,'" said Bob Yabroff, president of Gary Platt Manufacturing. "It's something new in the industry, because they're a pretty cutting-edge type of casino."
The drawing board
Making casino products ergonomic required overhauling existing designs, focusing on the player's comfort rather than the machine's traditional shape.
Ergonomics says a person should be in the least stressful position possible when performing a task, Odden said. This typically means the environment should be adjustable, with objects within easy reach and screens at eye level.
In developing WMS Gaming's Bluebird(tm) video cabinet, Director of Hardware Development Norm Wurz and his team studied the gambling environment. "We actually went and sat in casinos and just watched people play, and tried to establish some type of a play pattern on how they utilize the equipment," Wurz said.
Specific improvements came about because of player habits. "One of the things that we observed during the field work that we did was that they continually had those player tracking cards stretched across the display and out of reach, and it just seemed so uncomfortable and just a pain for the players," Wurz said. With the Bluebird(tm) upright, everything is within easy reach, he said.
McNamara engaged in similar research for the development of ErgoBase(tm). The footrest was designed, McNamara said, because players were seen leaning forward on their stools, with one foot on the floor. The footrest alleviates that more stressful position.
Stage said observed player habits also drove the design of Atronic's cabinet. "For example, watching players leaning against the machines to play, or seeing players hold their arms to support them because the button panel was too high, inspired the height adjustable feature of e-motion(tm)," Stage said.
Comfort, convenience
WMS Gaming's Bluebird(tm) slant and upright systems were based on years of development and testing, Wurz said. "There were a few specific areas that we addressed initially, and that was the monitor location, the button panel location and the player interface, which we were referring to as the work triangle, kind of borrowing from the architecture terms."
Everything is within easy reach on the Bluebird(tm) upright, Wurz said, giving players greater convenience. The cabinet was also designed to be convenient for casino operators.
"We tried to take what were considered the more serviced items and positioned them-if not in a more convenient way-attached them in a way that would be more easily exchanged if there were to be an issue that came up," Wurz said.
Over 80 percent of the cabinet components are interchangeable between the poker and video and stepper reel cabinets, meaning less parts for casinos to stock.
The aesthetics of the Bluebird(tm) cabinet were meant to be a "triple threat," appealing to casinos, pleasing customers and rewarding WMS with brand recognition without the splashy use of logos. It was part of the goal to "have people be able to walk a casino-because we do know everything pretty much looked the same up until that point-and to give them the beacon, if you will, for where to go to get to a WMS product," Wurz said.
The internals were also revamped with Bluebird(tm). "The aesthetic will get you the first quarter, but if the content inside the cabinet isn't compelling enough to have the players sit there and play over a long period of time, you won't really see the benefit of the ergonomics," Wurz said.
Casinos want to keep players in their seats as long as possible, Yabroff said, so the chairs produced by Gary Platt Manufacturing are designed to further that goal. "About five years ago we went from traditional seating, which we've been doing for the last 40 years, to a whole different concept of basically wanting to make the customer more comfortable. And how we did that is we added lumbars in the back, and a contoured seat, and it's all molded foam to do that."
The X-Tended Play(r) Line of chairs started off with the Sierra, with lumbar support in the back and the shaped seat. "Then when we introduced the Gazelle, we did molded wings in the side to give you support in the side and in the lower back," Yabroff said. "It's really three positions of lumbar."
Yabroff said the designs' popularity is evident. "It's very hard to quantify, but basically the customers tell the casinos they like it or they don't like it. If I don't like it, I ain't coming back," Yabroff said. "We get huge feedback from the casino and a lot of testimonials saying they went from the old standard chair to the new X-Tended Play(r), and the customers just love it."
AC Coin & Slot addressed comfort and convenience for the customer with ErgoBase(tm)-one of its major features being a lower base height. "Lowering the slot base gets the machine lower and gets the player more involved with the dynamic of the game," McNamara said.
Additionally, the lower base "increases the sight line in a casino," McNamara pointed out. "So when you're walking around, you're looking for another denomination to play, or another area of the casino to go to, it helps you see the signage better and make your way around a little easier."
Operators were also considered in crafting ErgoBase(tm), McNamara said, noting the design's removable footrest. "That allows easy access to the wiring that's run for all the games."
But the base only makes up half the pie, McNamara said, while the chair and its relative height and distance from the base make up the other half. "We spent a tremendous amount of time and effort developing that best ratio of chair height and distance from the base, and the slot base height itself, and we did that with varying heights of players," he said.
Giving options
Atronic's cabinet addresses varying player heights in another way. "e-motion(tm) is the only height-adjustable slot machine in our industry," Stage said. "Players can move the playfield up or down by pushing buttons on each side of the screens, allowing them to place the button panel at the most comfortable level and eliminate 'arm strain.'"
The ergonomic design addresses eye strain as well. "e-motion(tm) features dual TFT screens, each positioned at the ideal viewing angle for players."
The cabinet uniquely suits special needs gamblers. "Players in wheelchairs especially appreciate the height adjustable feature of e-motion(tm)," Stage said. "e-motion(tm) games are the only ones with button panels they can comfortably reach."
To ease playing action, controls are divided by function. "The e-motion(tm) cabinet was designed with separate player 'business' and playing areas. All 'business' functions, such as those relating to money or tickets (bill validator, ticket printer, cash out buttons) and to player tracking, are located on the right side of the machine," Stage said. "All playing functionality (screens, play buttons) is centered on the machine, which allows the player to completely concentrate on the game once the 'business' is completed.
"e-motion(tm) also features left and right-handed 'repeat the bet' buttons, which are much appreciated by 'lefties' and by players who play for long periods of time," Stage said.
Bally Technologies' CineVision(tm) entices customers into lengthy playing times with a total gaming experience. "Because of the slant configuration of the game, it's very comfortable to sit at, very easy on the players' eyes, their posture-they feel very secure," Mitchell said. "CineVision(tm) allows the player to become very immersed in the game, with a very high-end sound system that surrounds and captivates the player."
A rest pad cushions on the arm rest, with player interaction pieces in easy view. The 26-inch widescreen is also designed to be easier on the eyes than traditional models.
Elements that may not be technically ergonomic were still designed with comfort in mind. The deck, for example, was included for possible beverage space, but ended up also being used for cell phones, keys, purses and other items. "(Customers) feel very comfortable with that, that their personal belongings are right there in front of them."
The CineVision(tm) seat enhances that sense of security. "When you compare it to other slants, we allow the player to get very up underneath the slot machine because of the way the arm rest is made," Mitchell said. "So they can really get up and get comfortable and get as close to the machine as they'd like, kind of like a slant."
Choosing wisely
At MLP Seating Corp., Odden cautioned that seating is only one part of the ergonomics picture, and even ergonomics aren't a scientifically proven boon in the casino industry.
"What we try to do when we talk to casinos is educate them on what ergonomics is all about, and understand the value they're getting for the money," Odden said.
"We try to let them know that if a person isn't sitting in the chair properly, then no amount of ergonomics is going to benefit that person," he said. "And if the machine isn't designed ergonomically, even if a person is sitting properly in the chair, then the design of the machine can take away from the ergonomics of the chair."
Odden explained how the company's approach is summed up with a new marketing concept, called "Options Anyone?"
"What we try to do is not make judgments, and make a product that meets the needs and opinions of a specific client," he said. This may or may not include ergonomic features like molded foam and lumbar support. Clients can pick and choose virtually every seating feature. "We really start almost with a blank palette and build up a product based on what the client's needs are," Odden said.
This flexibility also applies to cost. "There's always a less expensive way to do things as well as or better than the expensive way," Odden said. "What we try to do is find the most cost effective solution without sacrificing quality or durability."
