The Technological Knowledge Strand Explanatory Papers Updated May 2010
Technological Modelling
Illustrative Examples from Technology1
The current issue around irrigation in the South Island of New Zealand – in particular the Mackenzie Basin, provides a contemporary context to gain insight into how technologists are working to resolve issues; using both functional and practical reasoning to balance a range of stakeholder priorities and attempt to find a best fit solution.
This example also provides insights into how a diverse group of professionals are working alongside the Government and general public to ensure all needs, including long term environmental needs, are fully understood and justifiably prioritized for any future development decisions. For an introduction to this issue – see the May/June 2006 edition of e.nz.
Exploring vehicle prototypes provides an opportunity to examine a range of historical examples, showing the way prototype cars and bikes have been used to gain crucial market feedback and ensure design flaws are identified and corrected prior to the shift into mass marketing. Examples can be found where the prototype was too far outside of acceptable 'norms' or performance expectations to support ongoing development (e.g. the early generation hybrid cars).
Other examples show how a prototype can shift people's perceptions and stimulate other technologists to cross historical boundaries (e.g. the New Zealand designed Aquada). Analysis of the prototyping of vehicles can highlight the complexities associated with gaining robust end-user feedback, and the economic and personal costs associated with poor decision making leading up to the development of a prototype that fails. Henry Petroski's book – To Engineer is Human: The role of failure in successful design provides descriptive accounts of the impacts of failure on technological development.
