Toyota and the value of human input

Continuing on the quest for workplace efficiency, Toyota developed their famous human-centered production system. Unlike Taylorism, the Toyota Production System was based upon respect for people, and much attention was paid to creating the optimal working environment. Not only that: human input was considered crucial, and was actively encouraged. Toyota factory workers could pull a cord to stop the assembly line if they had feedback or suggestions to improve the process, for example*—*like usability testing in action, if you will. This represents a key step in UX history as it really brought attention to the importance of how humans interact with machines. No matter how advanced technology is, its value is limited to its usability*—*and that’s exactly what UX design is all about.