Designed for Use, 2nd Edition

Chapter 12 Keep an Open Mind

Designing a new car comes with pretty severe constraints. People take driving lessons and spend weeks or months learning how cars work—this is a huge investment, and they have certain expectations. They’re not going to buy a car that replaces the steering wheel with a joystick—they’d have to start learning how to drive all over again. But that’s not all. There are legal requirements. Suppliers only provide certain components, and requiring customized components increases the cost. And, of course, cars exist in the real world, so they’re subject to pesky things such as the laws of physics. These and other restrictions ...