Good Design shouldn’t be a guessing game.
I stayed in a hotel two nights ago, and the AC wasn’t working. Quickly, I went straight into problem-solving mode. I noticed there were icons on the AC panel — neatly arranged on a black surface. Instinctively, I assumed they were affordances. One looked like a power button, so I figured it would turn the AC on or off. Another resembled a reset or temperature control. But nothing happened. I kept pressing, waiting, adjusting. Still nothing. Then, in my frustration, I finally noticed something I had completely ignored before — there was a standing fan in the room. That’s when it hit me; the AC wasn’t working at all. Later I also learnt those “buttons” I thought were affordances? They were just decorations. Stickers slapped on the surface without use. I felt oddly disappointed. And for a brief moment, I imagined Don Norman somewhere, deeply offended. I’ve been reading The Design of Everyday Things , and one of Norman’s biggest frustrations is doors — doors you don’t know...