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Fig. 3.1 The steering wheel
from the Caterham 2012
Formula 1 car. The wheel
contains multiple controls to
adjust traction, suspension,
and aerodynamics
(reproduced with permission
of Caterham F1 Team, UK)
Fig. 3.2 Outfits designed to
reproduce the effects of age
on younger users (reproduced
with permission from Nathan
Fried-Lipski and the MIT
AgeLab)
physical actions. Designers of interfaces and of larger systems need to give
appropriate consideration to the user's body in order to take advantage of its
capabilities and to mitigate against the limitations and constraints it imposes. The
size of the cockpit in a Formula 1 racing car, for example, is limited for obvious
reasons. This restricts the things that the driver can physically reach to control the
car. The steering wheel in Formula 1 cars (like that of the Caterham 2012 For-
mula 1 car shown in Fig. 3.1 ) has therefore evolved into an interface that brings
within easy reach all of the systems that drivers need to interact with.
People vary and their physical dimensions and capabilities also vary. Figure 3.2 ,
for example, shows a suit designed to mimic the effects of age when worn by
younger people. The suit leads users to modify how they walk, how they look
around the environment, and how they see. Similarly, the gloves and goggles in
Fig. 3.3 can be used to mimic the effects of arthritis and poor vision, which will
affect how people interact with computer technology.
The appearance or structure of a physical object can suggest how it should be
used, or support a particular use. These physical affordances—after Gibson
( 1979 )—are useful, because they make it easier for people to determine how to use
the object: handles on doors, for example, afford pulling. Some affordances build
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