According to research performed by Deliotte, 2012 will be the year to exceed 1 billion computers produced annually. With 500 million units shipped in 2009 you would think that the computer industry would have things fairly well worked out for design, but do they? Consumer usability is always an issue and frequently overlooked. Take a few new cars for test drives and you are bound to say “I really don’t like where that thing is placed.”
Here is a PC that is just a few years old.
Look at the power switch.
It seems that every time a disc is placed in the lower drive the computer shuts down and needs to be rebooted. Sometimes when the headset cords are plugged in, a wild finger will cause a reboot. It also happens when installing or removing a thumb drive in the USB port. Very frustrating to have your system shut down from attempting normal use.
Yes, the computer
settings can be changed to not shut down the computer when the button is pressed, but that is not the point. Moving the power switch to the opposite side would have similar aesthetic design appeal without the unintended effects of a shutdown.
Considering placement of controls and design of user interfaces could be the difference of a customer returning for the next purchase. It could be that an inadvertent button press goes unnoticed and then it becomes a system failure.
Maybe I should give the PC industry the benefit of the doubt with only 400 million units sold that year. Learning from the mistakes you make is progress, learning from competitors mistakes is priceless.
What other design failures can be found in everyday products? Send them to us and we will post them.
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