At the height of the industrial revolution, Fredrick Taylor developed a method of detailing time-motion studies in labor workers.  He improved efficiency by reducing each task to the least amount of necessary movements. Henry Ford, committed to manufacturing a reliable and affordable automobile, implemented “Taylorism’ into the production of the Model-T.   This changed increased production drastically while reducing manufacturing costs from $780 per car to $360, making it possible for the average American to afford a Model-T automobile.

So what does this have to do with the User Experience Community?  We can learn much from Taylor’s theories. Three underlying principles are to be considered.  Each a basic element of any sustainable product, and ones that User Experience Designers embrace:

1. Breaking down tasks to the individual elements
2. Eliminating anything unnecessary
3. Developing, implementing and testing

By executing these ideas into digital, physical and environmental interactions, User Experience Designers can encourage our community to stop designing from necessity.  Using this model, successful and easy-to-use design will emerge while enhancing creativity.  Sustainable products will materialize, because excess, or the “unnecessary” will be eliminated.

Instead of continually seeking new and innovative “sustainable” solutions, we have an opportunity to learn from history- considering the success of the Ford Company and Fredrick Taylor to move our ideas and profession forward.  Design can truly become sustainable, accessible, affordable easy to use, and most importantly well designed.  Sounds like the Model-T doesn’t it?