Or if you know one please ask them -
Warning lights:
They come on when the ignition key is turned on, so that one can check that the warning light itself is working
But in too many vehicles the warning lights are placed higgledy-piggledy all over the instrument panel. And often there will be spaces where there is a light on a different model but not on yours because you don?t have the relevant accessory etc.
In times past there were so few lights that you could easily see that one was not coming on. Now there are lots of them.
Now I don?t like a straight row of uniform switches because I prefer to be able to use them with a minimum amount, preferably zero amount, of taking my eyes off the road to look for them. I don?t want to feel for the row then count along for the switch I want, let alone try to read a label. Thus different types of switch in different places for different things suits me.
But randomly placed lights are, for me, bad ergonomics. If the lights could be placed in a row be it straight or curved, or a recognisable pattern, the driver could see at a glance when starting the car / vehicle that all the lights were in order. Now you and I, dear reader, are careful and thorough. But we know that most of our friends and family, lovely people that they are, don?t even look to see if their tyres are inflated before they set off, so they?re not going to memorise the positioning of random lights, are they? Taking the trouble to see a nice triangle or H - shape or whatever is, just, within the bounds of possibility. (And if we get tyre pressure warning gizmos with yet another light that will sort the above failure to inspect issue.) The - you don?t have a soft top so you don?t have a warning light for it - problem could be dealt with by using some imagination. E.g. one bulb of a particular colour sending light by a fibre optic to each dummy position, only lighting them at start up time. Or a separate area with its own pattern for the lights for optional gear.
This is a less serious issue as cars move towards having a little screen that can tell you all sorts of stuff, including that one of your warning lights has failed. But not all cars have these yet.
So - designers - rather than try something YOU THINK IS clever with the indicator and wiper stalks yet again rather than leave them well alone this is something you could mess with with my blessing for a change.
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I think most brand new designs use small LCD screens. Mercedes are developing a new generation user interface with Apple.
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>>Now I don?t like a straight row of uniform switchesbecause I prefer to be able to use them with a minimum amount, preferably zero amount, of taking my eyes off the road to look for them. I don?t want to feel for the row then count along for the switch I want, let alone try to read a label. Thus different types of switch in different places for different things suits me.
>>
just like a Rover 2000
>>If the lights could be placed in a row be it straight or curved, or a recognisable pattern, the driver could see at a glance when starting the car / vehicle that all the lights were in order.
>>
just like a Citroen SM
An oval dial with all the lights just inside the rim cos in the middle is a big red eye that lights up "STOP" when anything really nasty happens with the oily bits.
www.citroen.mb.ca/cItROeNeT/passenger-cars/micheli...l
So designers - it has all been done decades ago.:-)
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." If the lights could be placed in a row be it straight or curved, or a recognisable pattern"
Ralph, have you got the trinkets on the mantlepiece lined up like that?
(written with warm intended humour)
Regards ;)
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BMWs used to be the epitome of dashboard ergonomics. The last "proper" dash was probably on the E46 its been downhill since then. We had a Rover 216 in the family in the early 90s that had a superb dash. Vectra and Cavaliers had properly logical warning light layout. This trend for including warning lights in the "face" of the speedo isn't progress. BMW bikes have an excellent LCD MFD. One glance and you know what may be amiss.
Landie on the other hand is a mess, but its such an organic car I think they are largely superfluous anyway
Edited by Pugugly on 22/03/2008 at 09:00
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Can I ask designers to make it a little easier to replace light bulbs generally - especially headlight bulbs. I don't care if you say the bulb will last 10,000 hours - it'll still go faulty long before then.
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