I feel like I have spent a lot of time complaining about design issues throughout my life. That’s why I’m especially annoyed that it took me so long to actually think of them when I’m being given the platform to complain. But now I would gladly list the following two that drive me crazy:
The sensor faucets: I have been to so many bathrooms in malls and airports that require your hand to be so close to the sensor for them to work that if you move your hand away to actually wash it, the water stops running. I’ve literally had to keep one hand at the sensor while I attempt to wash one hand at a time. I understand the premise of sensors for water conservation, but this design can easily be improved if the sensor facility is designed such that it senses your hands at the right distance so that they can stay together under the running water.
The writing tablet chairs: My coaching center in the last 2 years of high school had these chairs, and they were my worst enemy. I hate everything about them. The table is too small, it is designed for right-handed people, I can’t get up without clearing the entire “table”, and I can’t rock the chair even a little bit without toppling over. Again, I understand that these were made for small spaces, but the design could be improved by making simple movable extensions for the table part (so at least a decent notebook can fit) that people can add, make the material of the chair more comfortable so that students (who would be sitting on these for long durations) don’t have back pain, and introducing left-handed versions.
I think the way to apply the author’s principles of design to IM is by truly understanding this phrase that he uses, “emphasizing understandability and usability”. In my own sketches, I’ve noticed that I often rely too heavily on the assumption that my audience will share my intuition. But as Norman explains, intuition varies from person to person. What feels obvious to me as the creator may not be obvious to someone encountering the project for the first time.Therefore, my IM projects should have more signifiers to create more affordability in their designs. This can mostly be through visible cues that reduce ambiguity and increase chances for the user to know exactly how to interact with the piece. I think there is a sense of balance that can be achieved between intuition and explicit direction, and that sweet spot is what makes user interaction truly effective.