Shape design of an optimal comfortable pillow based on the analytic hierarchy process method.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have analyzed the shapes of pillows. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the pillow shape design and subjective comfort level for asymptomatic subjects.

METHODS: Four basic pillow designs factors were selected on the basis of literature review and recombined into 8 configurations for testing the rank of degrees of comfort. The data were analyzed by the analytic hierarchy process method to determine the most comfortable pillow.

RESULTS: Pillow number 4 was the most comfortable pillow in terms of head, neck, shoulder, height, and overall comfort. The design factors of pillow number 4 were using a combination of standard, cervical, and shoulder pillows. A prototype of this pillow was developed on the basis of the study results for designing future pillow shapes.

CONCLUSIONS: This study investigated the comfort level of particular users and redesign features of a pillow. A deconstruction analysis would simplify the process of determining the most comfortable pillow design and aid designers in designing pillows for groups.