Abstract Wearing helmets has reduced the risk of head and facial injury among cricketers. Yet, design gaps are present in the cricket helmets currently being used. The aim of this research was to identify the shortcomings and user requirements pertinent to safety and usability of cricket helmets. The objectives were to explore the design criteria and the drawbacks of state-of-the-art cricket helmets, to identify user requirements for design and to analyse them. To collect data, a three-faceted approach, i.e. a literature review (n = 58), a video-based accident analysis (n = 24) and a user study (n = 42), was used. A frequency analysis technique based on the constant comparative method was used to identify and prioritize the shortcomings and user requirements. Findings from the three approaches were then triangulated to confirm the shortcomings and user requirements. Results revealed that poor fit, inadequate impact attenuation capacity and thermal discomfort are the main categories of shortcomings in the cricket helmets. Research on multi-objective optimisation of features for better fit, impact attenuation and thermal comfort (FIT) is suggested as future work.

中文翻译：

---

与当前使用的板球头盔相关的缺点和用户要求：关于安全性和可用性功能的研究

摘要 戴头盔降低了板球运动员头部和面部受伤的风险。然而，目前使用的板球头盔存在设计缺陷。这项研究的目的是确定与板球头盔的安全性和可用性相关的缺点和用户要求。目标是探索最先进的板球头盔的设计标准和缺点，确定用户对设计的要求并对其进行分析。为了收集数据，使用了三方面的方法，即文献综述（n = 58）、基于视频的事故分析（n = 24）和用户研究（n = 42）。使用基于常数比较方法的频率分析技术来识别和优先考虑缺点和用户需求。然后对三种方法的结果进行三角测量，以确认缺点和用户要求。结果表明，板球头盔的主要缺点是不合身、冲击衰减能力不足和热不适。建议在未来的工作中研究特征的多目标优化以获得更好的贴合性、冲击衰减和热舒适性 (FIT)。