courtesy: David Yanko of Virtual Saskatchewan

This blog is about “finding better ways to pour coffee.”  At the risk of sounding like a bureaucratically-generated cliche, it’s a little like a more focused “think outside the box,” which I hate.  Allow me to explain what I mean, starting with a quick story.

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Engineers do not like trying new things.  This is a fact of life in any high-tech industry.  Whether it is a new tool, new software, new design flow, new co-worker, or just a new place to eat lunch, engineers generally resist.  Engineers thrive on the routine.  However, change is a regular and necessary occurrence in the corporate world.

While mostly driven by management to maximize profit margins, change can be very uncomfortable and even unproductive for those working in the technical trenches.  Although it may seem stubborn and counter-productive to try new software and tools, engineers have their reasons.

Now, if we all resisted change all the time, we as designers of course would not be able to improve and advance technology.  Change is, without question, inevitably necessary to evolve our products.  Below I discuss the four main reasons engineers resist change and what you must know to change their minds.

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When I worked as a design and manufacturing engineer, I did a lot of 3D design work in SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and various other packages.  It didn’t take me long to look for an alternative to the traditional mouse to manipulate my designs in the digital 3D environment.  After a little searching, I found the 3D Connexion line of products, and purchased a SpaceBall 5000 (replaced by the SpaceExplorer). Here’s why you should get one immediately.

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