[人因工程 ]
(2003/01/30)
Bad Designs: Stove Top Controls
This is the obligatory stove top control example that probably appears in every book on human factors design to illustrate bad design. The problem is that it is difficult to tell which control goes with which burner.
Here is a picture of a good stove top control design following a solution that has been known for years. The solution is to arrange the controls in the same configuration as the burners. It is quite easy to tell which burner goes with which control. Why do you think all stove tops layouts aren't designed like this one?
Design Recommendations:
One way to make it easy to tell which control goes with which device is to arrange the controls in the same layout as the devices.
Editor's Comments:
Natural mapping makes sense to one's intellect, but far more importantly, it makes sense to one's intuition and instincts. The following admission may elicit no small amusement from DPC readers, but even the chest of drawers in the editor's bedroom are "naturally mapped". Socks are consigned to the bottom drawer, briefs to the middle, and undershirts to the top. One could of course stuff socks in the top drawer and undershirts in the bottom drawer, but why?
-- Bevin Chu
Illustration: Stove Top Controls
Explanation: Bad Designs: Stove Top Controls
Author: Michael J. Darnell
Affiliation: Bad Human Factors Designs
Publication Date: 1998-1999
Source: www.baddesigns.com
Original Language: English
Editor: Bevin Chu, Registered Architect
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