Table 3.

Attributes characterising the ideal work equipment identified by 87 participants of nine focus groups in a study investigating work equipment design and practices in three Ethiopian locations during 2022 – Bishoftu, Fiche and Shashamene. The seven identified attribute categories identified during the participatory exercise are presented, together with examples of described attributes within each category and their overall ranking on participatory ranking exercises

Attributes	Example of described attributes	Overall position in participatory ranking
‘Cost’	Good value for money, affordable to purchase, repair and maintain.	1
‘Animal-friendly’	Prevents injury, comfortable, does no harm, enables free movement.	= 2
‘Design’	Strong, durable equipment with quality materials and the right shape.	= 2
‘Practicality’	Easy to use, lightweight, simple to assemble, easy to maintain.	3
‘Availability’	Easy to find, locally available equipment, locally maintained.	4
‘Source’	By trained professionals, from a popular, trusted, or credible source.	5
‘Appearance’	Beautiful, modern, attractive, has the right colours.	6