Cary Diehl, Human Factors Engineer
Cary’s work has a huge impact on customers. From contractors, to first responders to families, he designed the ergonomics of the 2015 Ford F-150 for all types of jobs and lifestyles.
Cary’s work has a huge impact on customers. From contractors, to first responders to families, he designed the ergonomics of the 2015 Ford F-150 for all types of jobs and lifestyles.
“It’s always a good idea to put yourself in the truck customer’s shoes and start designing a truck that works for them. In a work environment, it’s all about efficiency, but a lot of the time the truck isn’t just for work, it’s also an office, or it’s for driving a family.”
Cary has spent hours discussing doors, door handles, door pulls and the process of entering and exiting a vehicle. But it’s not just doors that make a vehicle accessible. Every detail needs to add up to create a seamless and intuitive experience.
Since customers use the Ford F-150 to serve their communities and the world in so many different ways, it’s crucial that everything the customer interacts with is easy, usable and intuitive. From the door handles to the instrument cluster, Cary’s work makes it possible for drivers everywhere to do all types of work.
Even when he’s not at Ford, almost all of Cary’s hobbies involve his F-150 in some way. He is passionate about sailing and building things, including home renovations, harbor designs, and learn-to-sail programs. Using his F-150 to haul boats and other cargo has helped him understand what F-150 drivers expect in their trucks.
When Cary is racing sailboats, every time he can make a process faster and easier, he saves time around the course. The F-150 is used for an incredible variety of jobs, but as when sailing, every time Cary can design ergonomic features that make things faster and easier, he helps F-150 drivers save time the same way.
Cary decided to bring his design skills to Ford partly because of his grandfather’s 37-year history with the company. He had always been attracted to the idea of following in his grandfather’s footsteps. Since joining Ford, Cary has experienced a corporate culture that echoes that same family connection. In addition to meeting great mentors and becoming a mentor himself, Cary appreciates that all of his colleagues are so welcoming and willing to help.
Cary has been the Supervisor of Lincoln Interaction & Ergonomics since August 2015. He focuses on customer satisfaction from everything to do with the shape and feel of the exterior door handle to the location of the armrests.
