05.28.2010
Sean Farres /
Creativity /
Graphic Design /
News /
Transportation
The environmental catastrophe happening in the Gulf is horrific. No one really understands the ecological consequences from this mistake yet. In a CBS survey, 70 percent disapproved of BP’s response. Designers agree too and are using their voice to express their disapproval. Greenpeace is asking for a redesign of BP’s logo.
View Logo Gallery
Enter the Greenpeace BP logo redesign competition
Learn more about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
05.18.2010
Barry Beith /
Human Factors /
Transportation
According to an article in the May 17, 2010 News & Observer, a young man died on the road between Pinehurst and Sanford near the intersection of US 1 and NC 42. The report indicated that he hit a car head-on in the northbound lane of US 1. The car he hit had no lights on according to witnesses. One witness said the car was stopped. The driver of the dark vehicle was also killed. The young man hit it at speed head-on, suggesting that the “dark” vehicle was heading the wrong way or somehow got turned around in the northbound lanes. The police told his father that “they doubted that he ever saw it.” What a waste. High school aged, football star, coming home from seeing his girlfriend at her home in Pinehurst. Gone in the blink of an eye.
Gone in the blink of an eye that could not see the danger ahead in the road. Even something as large as an automobile. Even though his car lights were working fine. While this blog opens with a tragic story, its point focuses squarely on issues of visibility, conspicuity, and night vision. When our highway speeds outrun our headlights, our vision at night fails to protect us. When an object is dark, our closing rates can preclude our ability to see, think, and react. The end result is often fatal.
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01.04.2010
Leigh McClure /
Human Factors /
Transportation /
Usability
While on the phone with one of my friends who is expecting, I learned something that I found very interesting. It turns out that about 90% of car seats are improperly installed by new parents, even when they use the instructions! I was shocked and a little appalled. My first thought was, why is it so hard/confusing to use a car seat? This is a life-saving device and you would think that manufacturers would want to implement a fool proof way to secure the seat in the vehicle.
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08.03.2009
Corinna Proctor /
Consumer Products /
Transportation
Gotta love it. A GPS system. The prices tanked. Every car on the highway has one. And I climbed right onto the GPS bandwagon, too, about 2 years ago. I have to say this device is one of my favorite gadgets of the decade. Imagine my sheer joy at feeling confident that I know my way around - even though at best, I can’t even fake a good sense of direction. I’m terrible. I have to memorize my way around town because I truly don’t know where I am in relation to things. It’s a fault. But I choose to say that I save my brain power for more important things. Well now, watch out, world. I’m going to get where I need to go without having to make that embarrassing call to a friend or my husband to be my trip advisor. I don’t need to think. I just listen and do what the unit tells me to do. It’s like being reborn with a sense that you were always missing.
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07.08.2009
Christina Mendat - Former Staffer /
Ergonomics /
Human Factors /
Transportation /
Usability
Being vertically challenged can pose a number of obstacles in my life. For instance, I can’t reach the top or the next to the top shelf in my kitchen cabinets. I can’t turn the fan on in the living room or my porch. I don’t hang pictures at the “appropriate” height for the general population and the list goes on.
One thing that was very important to me when purchasing a car last year was to find one that fit my needs:
- acceptable height of seats for entering and existing the vehicle
- ease of putting children in and out of the vehicle
- ability to pull down hatch easily without “jumping” to reach the handle
All of the needs above were those I have never been able to find in a vehicle that was large enough to fit four family members and a good deal of luggage. Some of the various cars I test drove included:
- Honda CRV
- Honda Odyssey
- Toyota Sienna
- Mazda CX-9
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06.09.2009
Jon Howarth /
Human Factors /
Transportation /
Usability
source:publicradio.org
After returning from a business trip in Chicago, I received a letter from my rental car company indicating that they were charging me a fee to transfer three tickets from the Illinois Tollway to my name. I thought that there had to be a mistake because I did not remember driving through toll booths without paying. In fact, I didn’t even remember driving through any toll booths at all. I called the rental car company and explained the situation. The customer service agent told me that they get a good number of calls regarding transferring tickets for toll violations. She explained that the tollways are set up so that people driving cars with an I-PASS transponder, a device that is mounted in the car and works with a prepaid toll collection system, can continue driving on the tollway without stopping at toll booths. People driving cars that do not have an I-PASS transponder must exit the tollway to pay tolls at toll booths. The reason that I didn’t remember driving through a toll booth was because I hadn’t driven through one. An Illinois Tollway camera had taken a picture of my license plate each time I failed to exit the tollway to pay the toll.
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