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> What is wrong in the culture / education of engineering ...or, does the typical engineer's needs and tastes differ so much from the typical customer's that m
by eevilspock 13y ago
> What is wrong in the culture / education of engineering
...or, does the typical engineer's needs and tastes differ so much from the typical customer's that most engineers simple cannot not see the latter? For example, many of my friends in tech could not and still cannot see why so many consumers prefer iOS to Android given how much more customizable or "tinker-able" the latter is. The ones that get it the best are the ones that play tech support to many non-techie family members.
Engineers brains just work and see the world differently than most people.
- incision 13y ago>"The ones that get it the best are the ones that play tech support to many non-techie family members." Right. As I've related on HN before, I believe a pivotal point very early on in my career was seeing technology through the lens of my aging mother. It completely opened up my perspective about tech in service of people. I take your observation and my experience as evidence that this empathy and understanding can certainly be learned - it's a question of how to teach students and convince them that it matters. >"Engineers brains just work and see the world differently than most people." Sure, I get what you're saying, but I wonder how much of the negative side of that is self-fulfilling in teaching and ultimately being an engineer. I'd like to think we can be excellent hammers without treating everything as a nail.