Consumer Goods and Usabilty

Kribs, my friend, had blogged about a dial problem (He had turned it all the way down thinking that it would lower the temperature, and woke up to a warm puddle of ice-cream on his floor! The dial was numbered from 1 to 20, but it doesn't represent temperature, it represents strength of cooling. -From Kingsley) with it and it triggered a huge discussion. Enough has been said, but here's my take. Most of the people in that discussion - I'd assume - are from IT or think they are IT savvy. The discussion was reflective of how we think. How we regard our users. Not many in the discussion realised that a product can't make a user 'think' about how to operate it. Why? You may ask. Simple. I didn't pay for the fridge to learn how to use it. I want it to keep my good fresh and my drink cold. And here I think IT professionals think it's hep to know a product inside out. So when they learn someone doesn't know enough about a product they conclude he/she is dumb or something like that. These are the same people that build software and the web. The discussion also proves that consumer goods do not follow standards while designing interfaces (like dials). Designers focus on 'what's cool' than on 'what's easier'. India is a special country. 50% are illiterate. We have too many languages. Too many cultural factors to consider. The discussion ignored this. They expect a normal user to understand the concept of 'temperature'. Let me make it simpler: You drive a car do you know how IC engines work? If yes how many of you know? I think engineers in this country are pompous. They actually believe 'engineers make the world'. Maybe! But it is the users/consumers that make it go around. Technology has to be invisible. I do not know how electronic ignition works. But I know if I push that button my bike would come to life. That's all that matters. That's why kinetic honda sells like hot cakes.

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