Fascinating article. When I taught my 16-year-old to drive recently (in the US), it became quickly apparent which auto controls are intuitive, and which are arbitrary and require memorization and habit. For ex:
- Turning the steering wheel clockwise to go right, counterclockwise to go left: He got this immediately.
- Flicking the turn lever up to indicate a right turn, down to indicate a left turn: This confused him and he got it wrong for days.
- Pushing the turn lever forward to turn on the high beams, pulling for low beams: Also made no sense to him, and took days to get correct.
- Turning the steering wheel clockwise to go right, counterclockwise to go left: He got this immediately.
- Flicking the turn lever up to indicate a right turn, down to indicate a left turn: This confused him and he got it wrong for days.
- Pushing the turn lever forward to turn on the high beams, pulling for low beams: Also made no sense to him, and took days to get correct.