A 1995 survey found that 17% of VCR clocks were flashing “12:00.” This fact may make a great joke for a stand-up comedian, but it highlights a serious problem for consumer electronics companies: user interfaces are rarely user-friendly. While most people can live with a flashing VCR clock, poor interfaces are slowing the acceptance of advanced consumer electronics.
I recently observed some dramatic examples of the perils of bad user interfaces. A few weeks ago I visited a retirement home that recently installed digital cable TV. While the residents were undoubtedly pleased by the availability of both MTV and MTV2, they were perplexed by the complexity of tuning in their favorite channels. With the old setup, they could go from a blank screen to the desired channel in two steps: power up the TV and select the station. In contrast, the digital cable remote control requires seven carefully sequenced button-presses to switch between the TV and the set-top box, power up both devices, and select the desired (three-digit) cable channel.
I also upgraded my home theater receiver a few months ago. After installing the receiver, I realized it lacked radio preset buttons. Flipping between my favorite stations—which used to require a single button push—now requires me to patiently hold a button while the receiver cycles to the desired station.
Most recently, I purchased a combination VCR/DVD player for my mother-in-law. Initially, I thought this combo unit would be simpler to use than two separate devices. One look at the remote proved otherwise: this monstrosity had about 50 buttons, many labeled with never-before-seen icons with inscrutable meanings. Since I like my mother-in-law, this unit went back to the store.
These experiences bring to mind the urban streetwear brand FUBU, or “For Us, By Us.” While the “FUBU” approach may work for rap artists, it is a terrible design mentality for engineers. Today’s consumer electronics may be more sophisticated than ever, but these devices must appeal to unsophisticated consumers. Indeed, expecting consumers to think like an embedded electronics engineer is a great way to get your product returned.
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