R_O_M
Guest
A decade ago, at our local machinery field days, I asked a CAT tractor rep what was the average age of their tractor designers and did any of them wear glassesIJ He was completely non-plussed at my enquiry until I pointed to the numerous tiny icons around the instrument panel and explained that as I had recently had to acquire reading glasses, I just could not read the icons, particularly if a warning icon flashed, without finding and putting on my reading glasses and by then the damage would possibly have been done. The young non glass wearing designers just do not think of simple things like that as it is outside of their experience. Now I see from the AGCO brochures that the computer information panels are being installed well above eye level in the combine cabs. As a full time glasses wearing member of the community, I would now have to crane my neck back at a riduculous 45 degree angle just to be able to read the computer info through the close range reading section on the bottom of my glasses. Something that is near impossible on a regular basis when concentrating on the operation of the combine in difficult conditions which is usually just when you need the computer monitoring on those screens. As usual, lots of "advances" but not that much thought is given by the designers to the wide range of capabilities and often very restrictive personal limitations of the people who have to use this new gear, particularly for the many older farmers who help out their sons and daughters with the harvesting operations. One day those designers will be a lot older themselves and when they are I hope they are made to suffer and to remember with embarrassment some of their own excruciating design cockups that they foisted on the farming community.
