Inconvenient things - lack of design, not user stupidity
Have you ever been unable to use the remote control from a new TV? If so, you are not alone. Difficulties with the use of simple household products arise often, and people believe that they are to blame, but the problem is in poor design.
Poor design is the result of neglecting the relationship between users and technology. Good design brings them together.
Example. Imagine a TV remote. He is able to control all devices at once: DVD players, satellites, game consoles, etc. However, trying to connect so many devices, designers stuffed the console with many buttons and functions, significantly complicating its use.
Do not think that you are too stupid for a simple remote. The bad design that does not provide user contact and technology is to blame.
One reason for poor design is the rapid development of technology.
Example. Cell phones have changed a lot over the last fifteen years. Touch panels have evolved into touch screens, and calls have long ceased to be the main function: now it is SMS, photography, sending email and more. This is very convenient, but devices can become too complicated to use.
The constant development of technology complicates the work of designers: it is increasingly difficult to create new products that are easy to use. It must be remembered: no matter how revolutionary the technology is, if the device is difficult to use, it is useless to the user.
A well-designed product educates users
Have you ever bought a new computer program and long tried to understand how it works, constantly looking into complex instructions? This is a poorly designed product. Products should be easy to learn and easy to use.
Example. When faced with a new lawn mower, people should not waste time learning how to use it. Good design allows you to learn the product on the go.
Many say: "Read the instructions!". But often they are too complicated and incomprehensible. Help consumers learn how to use the product by providing visual hints.
Example. Usually we have no problem using a simple door: you turn the handle, push or pull yourself. But sometimes without a hint, even opening the door can be a problem. Often it’s not obvious whether to push or pull it. If the door is glass, without a handle and hinges, you can get into a quandary.
The author’s friend fell into such an awkward situation: without finding any clues, he was trapped between two glass doors.
When designing, consider human psychology
Imagine you are developing a new washing machine. Your car needs new features to stand out from the competition. But in order for users to understand new, unfamiliar functions, their psychology must be taken into account.
Users find a common language with the product at three psychological levels:
- An intuitive level is our unconscious behavior, such as breathing and digesting food.
- The behavioral level is a conscious reaction, but we do not think about it. This level includes reflexes, for example, when we pull our hand away from the fire.
- The level of thought is the sphere of conscious, higher cognitive functions when we carry out complex planning and problem solving.
What does this have to do with design?
Example. The new washing machine must interact with three psychological levels. Say you need to wash clothes for a business meeting.At a mental level, we have a problem (dirty clothes), we need to make a plan (choosing a washing cycle) to achieve the goal (put on clothes for a business meeting). To engage the mental level, the machine must have several washing options, satisfying the various needs of the user. At the behavioral level, you carry out the plan by choosing the parameters (setting the wash cycle) and interpreting the results (is the clothes clean?). The user should easily select wash cycles. A clear signal is needed to complete the wash. On an intuitive level, you start the machine (press a button) and see what happens (did the washing start?). Since this happens without hesitation, the buttons should be clearly visible and give a clear signal when pressed.
To fix a bad design, find the root cause of the problem
Having discovered that people are having problems using the product, you need to find out the root cause. To get to the root of the problem is to prevent its occurrence in the future. Do not blame the person, but dig deeper to find out why he did not succeed.
Example. In the old model, the buttons for changing the speed in an airplane looked the same as the buttons for changing the angle of descent or rise. This confused many pilots. But it’s not their fault, but the designers who created such similar buttons (the root cause). By changing the design of the control system, the likelihood of a pilot “error” was also reduced.
The root cause can be found through design thinking. It deeply studies the problem to find the reasons underlying it.
Example. Toyota has a procedure known as the “five why.” When looking for the cause of the problem in the model, the production team asks the question “why,” even if the “initial problem” has already been found and fixed. To get to the root of the problem, they ask “why” five times until they reveal not only obvious deviations, but also hidden ones.
Good design uses product restrictions
Have you ever bought a cabinet in Ikea? Despite people's complaints about assembly difficulties, this is incredibly simple due to the limitations that their products are full of. Limitations show how to use the product correctly.
Example. Ikea furniture is equipped with screws and bolts of various sizes, and all of them fit holes of the appropriate size, which greatly simplifies the matter. This physical restriction indicates to the user the only option. Otherwise, people will get confused and with great difficulty assemble furniture.
There are also cultural restrictions - the result of generally accepted opinion.
Example. There is an international screw standard. Everyone knows which way to turn the screw to tighten or loosen it. We take this for granted, but it is a generally accepted decision that makes it easy to use a screwdriver.
Limitations also remind you of important device features that you can easily forget.
Example. You are working on a document on a computer, spent many hours, but closed it without saving. But! When closing a document, most operating systems and programs will ask if you want to save work. Even if you do not want to save the document, the restriction will remind you of your existence - this information will not hurt you.
Well-designed products communicate with users by providing feedback.
Imagine buying a new smartphone. You want to check the alarm, set the time and wait. You can find out that the alarm is on by the clock symbol that appears in the upper right corner of the screen. This feedback is an important part of the design: this is how the device communicates with you.
Good design answers user questions and eliminates misunderstandings. Communicating with users, the device helps to use itself.It is the feedback in the form of icons, sounds and vibrations that helps to understand the device.
Example. You are at a technology conference and are testing a smart room with many technological devices and switches. To turn on the lights, sound system, etc., the central computer must provide enough information to navigate the interface. Pressing the button should correspond to the requested operation, and if successful, the system should inform that the user's desire has been fulfilled. And if the computer cannot complete the task, or the user performs the wrong action, the device should warn him with an error message, explaining how to solve the problem.
Feedback also reports on the current status of the product, for example, whether it is turned on or off.
Example. You activate a security system when you leave your home - if someone penetrates you, the police will immediately know about it. When setting an alarm, the system must signal that it is activated. Otherwise, users may leave their homes unprotected or accidentally trigger an alarm.
Design must be human oriented.
Technological evolution allows us to do what we did not dream of twenty years ago, but often the design lags behind. In an effort to create something new, designers often forget about the people who will use the product.
How to create a human-centered design? It is necessary to go through four stages.
- You will not understand the essence of the problem unless you see how people interact with the product and what problems they face.
- Develop ideas for solving the problem. You can offer a full range of possible actions or implement a feedback mechanism that alerts you to the wrong command.
- Create a prototype. He must provide a solution to the previous problem without creating new ones.
- The prototype needs to be tested. User actions should be the ones that created the problems. Do these problems occur again? Or do others appear?
The process continues until the problems are completely eliminated - so the product will be focused on the person.
Successful products require patience and the collaboration of marketers and designers.
Outstanding, human-centered design is not enough for product success. For this, designers need to collaborate with other departments of the company.
Example. Although the touch screens of smartphones have existed since the 1980s, they have been widely used recently, as the wishes of marketers and designers did not coincide. Designers focused on product usability. But touchscreens that meet their high standards have proved to be too expensive to launch on the mass market. And marketers focused on the number of people using the product. But inexpensive touchscreens were too complicated to use.
For product success, designers and marketers must come to an agreement. The product should be high enough for the designer and profitable enough for the marketers. Years later, when the cost of the touch screen decreased, marketers released a product that conquered the whole world.
Another secret to creating a good product is patience. According to the Norman Law, from the first day of product development, its creation always goes beyond the budget and lags behind the schedule. Therefore, consider the possibility of failure in order to actually plan production.
Example. The author developed the product and planned its release by Christmas. He set himself unrealistic production times (four weeks), because the plant in Spain was closed for the holidays. Naturally, the product was not ready on time.
The most important thing
Use people's psychology to create products tailored to their needs and desires. Human-centered design helps use the product and avoid dangerous mistakes.Users and technology must communicate in one language.
- Provide feedback. If you have difficulty using the device, do not blame yourself: most likely, you are not the only one who faces such a problem. Help others by letting manufacturers know about the problem so they can improve product design in the future.
- Keep looking until you find the root of the problem. The next time you need to fix the problem, first ask if this is really the main problem. By constantly asking “why,” you can identify the root cause. And if the original problem was already the cause, at least now you know it from the inside.
