Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards
There is a refrigerator in the kitchen where I work. There are no obvious hinges, and no handles on the front. How do you open in, and
from which side? Turns out, there is a recess in the *side* of the door where you can slide in your fingers and pull. You might find it as you're feeling around the edges of the door. Hopefully, the next time you use the refrigerator, you'll remember which side of the door this recess is on. This is an utter failure in user experience; the door
design fails to communicate clearly how it is used.
..
I have the same type of refrigerator. I bought it at Sears. Before I
bought it, I looked at the other models on the floor. Some had handles,
some did not. All opened the same general way. Grab the door and pull. Or
grab the handle and pull.
Most people I know often grab the edge of the door and pull, so the
handle is hardly used. For all I know, most refers open on the same side.
If not, people will try the other side. This is usually done without much
thought.
Perhaps there are some things so obvious, they do not need to be
explained. I have seen dogs open refers and fetch a snack.
Well, here's the question: if you pull on the side of the door, how do you decide which side to pull on if there are no obvious affordances? How many times will you have to "try the other side" before you get annoyed?
As it turns out, this particular refrigerator has these recesses in both sides of the door. I think I read about a similar design in one of my books way back (probably in a Donald A. Norman book). It's done so that the manufacturers can make one door that can have hinges on either side with no other significant modification.
Elegant? Well, seems so. Until this refrigerator doesn't open on the side you're used to opening refrigerators.
The design does not clearly communicate its use. Usability is sacrificed for some aesthetic principle. Yet this does not have to be, and to continue to inflict unusable designs in the name of aesthetics shows a callous disregard by designers of their products' users.
--
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com
"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
The day may come when the courage of Men fail, when we forsake our
friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!
This day, we fight!"
- Aragorn
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
- Gandalf
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