Context: I worked as an instructional designer for the Web consultancy firm Bullseye and our biggest client was Mazda. I prepared and built training modules for Mazda, intended for salespeople. These modules were to brief salespeople on key benefits and features of new and old models. The “Mapping Document” contained all the text that was then migrated into the Learning Management System.
Outcome: the organisation’s relationship with Mazda was a long and successful one and client response to these modules was positive and helped them greatly with their work.
[NB this is an excerpt only]
| Design principles | The latest Mazda2 design evolved from a design philosophy expressed as ‘exquisite and dynamic.’ ‘Exquisite’ refers to the desire to create an expression of beauty in the finished design.
In making this exquisite design a reality, the team sought ‘carefully considered beauty’ in which all visual forms were condensed to their most beautiful and refined form. To achieve a dynamic feel, every line and contour had to precisely balance movement and restraint. While the core theme behind the latest Mazda2 is ‘exquisite and dynamic’, a range of other principles helped realise the design. Co-ordinated movement A sporty wedge-shape conveys a strong sense of forward motion. Deeply sculpted forms created by the body being drawn in at the sides and distinctive character lines from the front arches to rear shoulders coordinate to make the Mazda2 look like it’s about to move even when it’s parked. The beauty of cohesion Different visual expressions of character come together to create natural beauty. Boldly contoured front wheel arches extending over the headlamp are softly absorbed. Sharp contour lines along the doors flow into full rear shoulders. A feeling of openness Optimally positioned A-pillars, an extremely low belt line and an unobstructed view through the side windows create a sense of openness. Subtle patterns of light Inspired by the seasonal changes in Japan, the Mazda2’s subtle interplay of soft rounded curves and bold muscular lines, change depending on the light, creating a highly expressive body design. |
Click bullet reveal | |
| Design process | The Mazda2 underwent a long design journey, but the result speaks for itself.
Conceptual design Rather than narrowing down the design theme at an early stage, the design team invited design submissions from three different R&D centres – Head Office in Hiroshima and the Yokohama and German R&D centres. The team selected and studied seven of the many proposed ideas seeking broad direction for the Mazda2’s proportions, form and identity. However, ultimately in seeking to satisfy too many needs, the design lost the lively individuality a compact car must have and the team decided to go back to the drawing board for a fresh start. This time the design team pursued a compact but distinctively “Mazda” design that inspired emotional attachment with a welcoming, friendly character. Using a jet fighter as their starting point, the design quickly unfolded, integrating ‘cute’ elements from the original into the new aggressive design. A huge number of sketches were discussed and refined to create the ‘exquisite and dynamic’ theme. Refinement and selection Ultimately, two final proposals were built to full size clay models in Europe and Japan and both were of outstanding quality. These models were digitized down to fractions of a millimetre, then virtual simulations were used to assist in refining the textures and functional beauty that would show off the car’s forms and materials to best advantage. Wind-tunnel tests helped refine the body shape to minimise drag while reflecting the design theme, while prototype testing on German autobahns optimised the underfloor aerodynamics. During a trip to Milan in 2005, Chief Designer Maeda spent a week walking around Milan, mentally placing the two designs into all kinds of scenery. He selected the final design based on which car would be most recognisable by customers as Mazda DNA not only in Milan but also Tokyo, Hiroshima and every other city around the world. Precision engineering Kansei engineering helped define and address customer interior design values, such as pleasure, beauty, and emotional attachment, while impedance matching (the study of psychological and physical needs of people operating a device) optimised interior controls to customer preferences for function and feel. The final challenge for the design team was to refine the selected design by trimming superfluous elements to further compact the body and further improve safety and comfort. This included using the ‘gram strategy’ so successful in lowering the MX-5’s weight. Once completed, the Mazda2 was ready for manufacture. Much of the Mazda2’s design is only possible to manufacture due to Mazda’s superior precision metal pressing technology. That enables different types of steel to be smoothly and continuously combined into sharp edges and twisting surfaces that traverse multiple body panels. |
Text left Lectora flowchart interaction right (see mX-5 for example)
Link to quality sensitivity diagram doc |
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| Types | Variants | The Mazda2 body style is hatchback and it comes in three variants: Neo, Maxx and Genki. All variants come with a five speed manual transmission and a powerful in-line 4 cylinder 1.5 litre MZR engine.
All variants feature power assisted steering, air-conditioning and MP3 compatible CD player. The Maxx adds alloy wheels, a 6 disc in-dash CD player and a roof spoiler. The Genki adds further features with fog lamps, leather steering wheel and shift knob and larger alloy wheels. |
Use wide lectora flash piece same as other modules.
Doc to feature comparisons |
Alae Taule'alo 