Sometimes, humor can be an effective way of making a point about bad design choices. Products which fail — often spectacularly — due to poor design can still lead to better engineering practices, if they inspire a discussion about what went wrong and how to fix it.
Design News’ “Made by Monkeys” column is a good read, and is often informative. It’s a good exercise in engineering ethics to read through the articles and conclude what made each particular design “Made by Monkeys.” Often, cost is the driving factor: a few cents saved by cutting corners here and there doesn’t keep the design from working immediately, but causes problems down the road.
Here are a few especially good articles that I’ve come across:
- Monkeys got to the spark plugs on my Mustang GT
- Troubles with the Ford Taurus SHO (a typical “overlap” engine”)
- At wit’s end with the Kenmore Microwave
- Monkeys only mess with new appliances
Enjoy — and remember, sometimes the monkeys have valuable lessons to teach!