One thing that drives me crazy is the overcomplicated interface of most modern microwaves. Even as someone who’s pretty tech-savvy, I groan every time I use a new one. 10+ buttons are there for “defrost poultry,” “bake potato,” “reheat pizza,” and more, when all I usually need is to heat up leftovers. Half the time when I use a new microwave, I end up pressing random buttons wasting an equal amount of time to set a basic 2-minute timer. It feels like designers prioritize “showing off” features over usability, exactly as Norman warns. They cram functions to make the microwave seem advanced, but they forget the core user need. Simplicity.
This frustration ties directly to Norman’s principles. The microwaves lack good signifiers, as there’s no clear visual cue (like a large, labeled “Quick Heat” button) to guide basic use. The mapping is muddled, too, as why is “Popcorn” next to “Sensor Cook” when most users reach for quick heating first? They are inherently all part of audience “affordances”—I don’t like this word, as we could simply call it design “friendliness”—which the author argues, sometimes contradicts with the designers’ desire to “show off”.
I agree to a certain extent. On the other hand, however, a designer IS capable of prioritizing human-centered design as their end goal—think of Steves Jobs or a random Apple designer—it is also a process to perfection to excel in design friendliness. How about this simple, intuitive microwave you might have seen: a large digital dial for time (natural mapping) and one “Start” button, plus a small “More Functions” menu for niche uses. This keeps discoverability high, because even a first-time user would know to twist the dial, and reserves extra features for those who need them, without cluttering the experience.
Design doesn’t have to choose between “impressive” and “usable.” Apple proves this by making complex tech feel intuitive, and microwaves could do the same, once designers focused on what users actually do instead of what they think looks good.