Help! My prof is using Star Wars as an example of bad design! Help me defend our sacred saga...

"Say that he uses the Force to push the buttons. " XD


Touch your temple... No don't look at it, just touch it..... Point proven.

 

I think your prof is talking about Human Factors Engineering.

First off, the designs were made to look good not as a usability feature. If he wants usability he should look at Padme's ship. One button to do all

Since not once in all three movies do we ever see Vader adjusting or using any of the buttons in his chestplate or utility belt, I just assume that this is not something that we will use constantly.

He may be using them while in his meditation chamber or ssisted by some robots.

As to the gunners, I don't even know what the purpose of those controls were, or if they were indeed some controls. While it wouldn't make sense for them to use them a droid or some other person may use them for something. Maybe they are some security feature so if they try to screw-up [Ani]They blow you up![/Ani]

 

First of all, tell your prof that Star Wars (ANH) is a movie, and as such, it achieved the movie industry's highest awards for design by winning Oscars for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

Then point out that designing for film is different than designing for rote industrial purposes. When designing for film, the most important criteria (especially for an otherworldly epic like SW) is that the designs are dramatic and interesting to look at. You do not apply quite the same design principles for an epic sci-fi film as you would if you were designing a toaster for General Electric! The designs in SW are the way they are because they look cool. The fact that they also look convincingly functional and industrial is a testimony to the brilliance of the overall design of SW.

If this isn't enough, also point out to your prof that the Imperial Gunner helmet or Vader's chestplate are essentially elements of suits of armor. Historically, helmets and armor are well-known for having extraneous, non-functional elements such as horns, spikes, etc., for a similar purpose as designing for film -- to look cool. (as well as intimidating)

And lastly, tell your prof that he is a bozo.


(Okay, maybe you don't actually need to tell him that.)

 

This is an interesting one.

Several brilliant points have been raised above, and one observation that might be made is that we're talking about two parallel, for want of a better word, realities ? one "contextual reality", wherein the world of Star Wars can be considered a real one, and the items therein can be expected to perform real, practical functions, and one "meta-reality", wherein we observe the movies to be works of fiction, and the only functions any items seen in the movie can be expected to perform are (1) plot advancement, or (2) decoration.

To begin with, in terms of the "meta-reality", as we never see the controls in either case (Vader or the gunners) manipulated or otherwise used, their purpose can be assumed to be entirely decorative ? and to that extent, their success from a design perspective is beyond question; witness all the aforementioned awards.
But in terms of the "meta-reality", therein endeth also the discussion. Ultimately, not a very interesting topic.

It is only in terms of the "contextual reality" that the discussion becomes truly interesting. In this respect, I shall constrain my comments to Vader's pectoral (i.e. "chestplate"), as that is the topic with which I personally am the most familiar. I shall also disregard the ANH version of the pectoral, as it differs significantly from the TESB and ROTJ versions.

The problem with the subject matter is that upon closer examination, the pectoral doesn't seem to have any buttons at all.
What appear to be four toggle switches along the bottom are, in fact, all joined along the bottommost "toggles" to form one single, solid piece. The red and blue squares in the upper (Vader's) left corner seem to be lights, rather than buttons. The "coin slot" lights are lights, not buttons, and the vertical rods are most definitely not buttons.
There is also a pattern of intricate, bright metal protrusions between these "not-switches" and "not-buttons". Their function is difficult to determine, but they do not seem to be of a shape that would make them practical as switches.

But assuming that any of the abovementioned features can, in fact, be physically manipulated in some way, are they well designed from a MMI (Man-Machine Interface)/Human Factors Engineering standpoint?

Well, the pattern they form is very simple, and is quite easy to navigate by touch. The unidentified metal protrusions certainly help in this regard, allowing Vader to positively determine, by touch, which button is which. Assuming that none of the functions that the controls are used for are time critical (as safe an assumption as any), the layout would certainly seem functional enough.
It must also be remembered that the function of these controls, if that indeed is what they are, would in all likelihood be supplemented by displays and indicators inside Vader's helmet, visible to him alone.

In the end, it would seem that in the contextual reality, the design of Vader's chest box is certainly functional enough to fulfil its intended purpose, whatever that may be. If one also assumes that it was designed by Vader himself for his own personal use, it would seem likely that it is a very practical design indeed.

You may tell your professor that I have said so.