This is a car steering wheel with the horn at the center. To use the horn, one has to use one hand to push hard at the button at the center, and use the other hand to hold tightly the steering wheel.
But, when we have to use the horn, we are usually in an urgent traffic condition, and we want to use the horn to warn others to pay attention. But under such cases, it is not safe or convenient to free one hand to push the horn button. People tend to hold tight the steering wheel with both hands to make the car more under control.
Here is the problem: how to design the car horn so that people can use it naturally and conveniently under urgent cases?
Here are some brainstormed design ideas. They are not necessarily be practical or efficient, but they are recorded as a process of design thinking.
- The horn button can be hidden inside the steering wheel rim, activated by strong hand gripping. Under urgent cases, people tend to grasp the wheel rim tightly, which would automatically trigger the car horn.
- The horn button can be located at one side of the steering wheel, as highlighted in the red circle above. So people just need to free one finger instead of freeing one hand.
- Similarly, the horn button can be hidden inside the brake. Only when the brake is pressed hard, would the horn button activate.
- Similar to blind spot detection, the car can automatically detect dangerous occlusion or maneuver, can use horn to warn the driver or other cars/pedestrians.
- The horn can also be activated by the shout (or dirty words :P) of the driver. Most drivers would say some particular words under urgent traffic cases. Each individual can configure these "activation words" to use them to activate the horn.
I'm not familiar with viechle design regulations, the followings are just personal opinions:
ReplyDeleteCar horn is considered, to some extent, as an emergency equipment(at least to me), so its design must follow the rules of emergency equipments.
That is to say, first, it must be able to be located very easily. As a result the real car horn button locates at the center, a position doesn't move while you rotate the wheel.
And second, it should not be easily triggered under normal circumstances. The design like "strong hand gripping trigger" is not acceptable to me. People often grip things, just for mood swings or something like that, and they trigger the horn without any traffic emergency. If many horns are made by mistake, what do people think when they hear a horn? They won't take it seriously. And that can be dangerous.
Sorry for not giving any constructive comments...