Dash Design and Ergonomics
The words ‘interior design’ are two words you’d associate with renovating or building new homes, however they are also linked to a car’s cabin area. The interior of modern cars integrate sensational materials with new styles, new technology and superior comfort. You may have come across the term ‘ergonomics’. Ergonomics looks at how a person’s working environment fits around them. Ergonomics associated with a driver of a vehicle will look at how the car’s switchgear, instruments, features, dash and driving equipment situate themselves comfortably within the driver’s reach. These items also need to be easy to understand and simple to use. Flagship models are where you would expect to find the best materials (usually leather), the best technology, greater levels of luxury features and usually the greatest comfort. I’ve sought to look at a few of the latest flagship models on the market and rate them according to how their dash layout stacks up to being simple to use, nice to look at simple for the driver’s eyes to read. The ratings are from 1 to 3. A score of 3 means that the car’s cockpit and dash layout is excellent; it also means that the car’s cockpit and dash layout is easy to use and looks top notch. A score of 2 means that the car does a fair job of getting it all sorted. A score of 1 means that there is work to be done!
Alfa Romeo’s 159 flagship scores a 2. The car’s dash has a unique appearance with some nice circular air vents. The buttons for various features on the central console are pleasant to look at and use.
How Times Have Changed
In these times of political correctness and social acceptability, to say nothing of safety issues, it is sometimes amusing to reflect that it wasn’t always like this.
A case in point is a car ad that we came across recently. The car is a Czechoslovakian made Tatra 603 made 50 years ago. It has a heavy V8 lump of an engine mounted in the boot, yet still manages the most remarkable road-holding capabilities and, despite rolling down a mountainside, can still arrive at the bottom totally unscathed!
Ergonomics: The Science of Being Comfortable
You’re about to head home from work; you’ve had a long day at the office and you’re ready to put your feet up. Sinking back into leather seats is a great feeling, even cloth seats are fine because what you really need is supportive, relaxing seats for the drive home through congested traffic. Great seats and a comfortable driving position are important features for a great drive, but what can really add to the relaxed feel of driving is the car’s layout for the driver.
So what is ergonomics? To some it might sound like a word associated with flying and aeroplanes. Ergonomics does have links to an aeroplane’s cockpit, and so too can you use the word in association with the driver’s space inside a motor car. Ergonomics is all about the study of designing equipment and devices that fit well to the human body, its movements and its cognitive abilities.
How to set up a car pool
The Powers That Be in the world of transportation, which includes town planners, city councils, roading authorities and traffic engineers, do not like single-occupant vehicles, which is the technical way to describe all those cars that have just one driver in them and a whole lot of empty seats. Think about it for a moment: if you have 10 cars waiting at the lights, each of which has only one driver, then you have 30 spare seats (or even more). If all those seats were full, you’d only have 3 cars waiting at the lights, which means less of a wait, a faster commute and less pollution, unless every single one of those cars waiting at the lights is a hybrid or electric vehicle. Carpooling makes good sense.
Level 2, 9 Help Street