Comments on: Hard To Use Products: Dumb Users or Dumb Designers

By: rk

rk — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:17:57 +0000

How come, I cant return VISTA? Why does MSFT get away with a no returns policy in spite of selling an eminently unusable product?

By: ioiosotwig

ioiosotwig — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 14:32:52 +0000

OK, let’s get the engineers involved with the toaster! Of course we need an intelligent interface, remote control, and of course, a red LED that acts as a night light when it’s off, or better than red, one of those super bright blue LED’s Oops, I almost forgot, it needs to be wireless and have it’s own IP address!

By: GregAllen

GregAllen — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 11:17:54 +0000

ioiosotwig >> I like to call it the “toaster rule”. Insert bread here, push down lever! THE END

I like that! However, every toaster I’ve owned was not consistent enough for me… either over or under-browned.

As I ate my burnt toast, I’ve contemplated that there are more than few variables in toasting. but especially type of bread and starting temperature. Still, it seems like a fixable problem.

By: ECA

ECA — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 20:27:13 +0000

Can we go into OVER priced, ONLY in the USA..??
CAR, NOT made in USA…Ford and the rest, have 90% of the car PARTS, fenders, and soforth MADE outside the US, for 1/10th the cost, SHIPPED here, and put together. And then ADD $10,000+ profit margin PER vehicle..
And we are willing to PAY for it.
Farmers get

By: ECA

ECA — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 19:59:05 +0000

I WILL say, that education, and (paranoid) PARENTS, Have isolated and DUMBEd down the kids. Let them be raised on a FARM for the first 10 years, and see what LIFE is like…LET the teachers(the smart ones) TEACH, dont restrict them.
Its been shown, that there is a way to teach math, that is linear and is easy to learn, all the way to physics.
DID you know that the US, is as Puritan as the Middle east, and is getting WORSE? europe, China, Japan, and others have LESS laws against natural behavior then WE DO.

By: MikeR

MikeR — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 19:18:56 +0000

I want to meet the engineer who thought it was a good idea to have a red LED come on to tell me the TV (stereo, DVD player, etc.) is OFF. I can practically read a book by the amount of light thrown off by my stereo setup when everthing is turned off.

By: Dave Drews

Dave Drews — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 16:34:53 +0000

And yet, how many houses have been burned down and how many people electrocuted because of improper usage of a toaster? Don’t forget how easily toasters can be weaponised. http://www.pmichaud.com/toast/

By: ioiosotwig

ioiosotwig — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 15:20:47 +0000

I like to call it the “toaster rule”. If it’s not as simple as a toaster, they’re gonna return it or call you about it!

Insert bread here, push down lever! THE END

By: david

david — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 15:18:56 +0000

The average person (1) did not grow up with this high level of technology, (2) are not interested in reading product manuals, and/or (3) have low reading compehension skills (technical writers could also be at fault).

My kid who just turned four knows how to navigate in Windows (he knows how to double-click and use the Paint program, can load DVD’s and press play, stop and rewind, knows how to use the remote control to change channels and can even steer my car in my lap (in a vacant parking lot). Human beings are innately intelligent. We need to nurture and develop it. Unfortunately, as a society we suppress it. But, anyhow, the new generation is immersed in this new technology. It will be second nature to them.

By: himey

himey — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 11:56:18 +0000

Just think of how stupid your average person is and then realize that half of all people are stupider than that.

By: jasontheodd

jasontheodd — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 11:33:33 +0000

I am easily the worlds biggest Linux proponent (or Microsoft opponent???) but most Linux distros suffer badly from an assumption that we can read the designer’s minds. Apple does seem to be pretty good at getting the newbie up and running.

By: ECA

ECA — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 11:31:30 +0000

And lets NOT get into city design.
Taking from the old days, a LARGE metro area, generally combines ALOT of little sections of towns.
5 way stops, 6 way stops,
Zip zag intersections.
Lights without sencors to TELL them theres NO BODY COMING, so CHANGE ALREADY.
circle jerks, which only 1/2 the people cant figure out. And if you are NEW to it, YOU WONT.
Freeways up a hill that are 6-8 lanes, that REDUCE to 4 lanes at the top??? Because SOMEone dont want you to change an 80 year old bridge, thats a LANDMARK?? Can you say BOTTLE NECK.

computing in parralell process, and mutitasking…NOT multi threading that was created and USED 40 years ago, STILL isnt part of windows??? that could make computers 2-10 times FASTER..
audio and video SMART cards that HOLD the drivers/DLL’s on the card, so the processor DONT have to do the work, which could make comps 10+ times faster?
audio and video SYNC, useing Sympte(audio video STANDARD) so your DVD syncs up…

OR why does windows NEED a 1700 MHZ to run a DVD when my DVD player only has a 400 mhz processor???

By: BOB G

BOB G — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 06:13:39 +0000

Gquaglia have you ever had a business? customers aka consumers pay the bills

By: ECA

ECA — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 05:32:56 +0000

SMALLEr ISNT better.

If I cant read the display, then it DONT work.
colored plastic, even with letters of the SAME color, SUCK…
3″ video display??? DUH…7″ is ALOT better and I can REAd the text.

small cellphone? drops out of pocket, is EASY to loose, or Stolen.

HD, TV…funny how they can STRETCH out 1024 pixels??? I can do better on my monitor…
COMMON SENCE, STUPID.. If you have trouble using it or seeing it, THEN WHY WONT WE??? Aim at those under 25 with 20/20 vision, and you dont have MUCH of a market.

By: joshua

joshua — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 05:23:28 +0000

do we want to ask why you need to work it in the bathroom, in the dark Stu…….lol