How can a retractable pen design be enhanced to discourage users from clicking the pen frequently?

Question

Retractable pens typically have a rather noisy mechanism. Some users periodically start pressing the pen button frequently (while they're talking on the phone or while they're waiting for some result on their computer - in other words when they are holding the pen but not writing for whatever reason) and this can be rather annoying to the people nearby. They are not doing it for any purpose - it's just a repeated motion being done with the pen.

I've heard claims that some pens are "virtually silent" but I've never seen such myself and I'd take any such claim very suspiciously - "virtually" can mean virtually any level of noise.

Assuming making a retractable pen noiseless is impossible and assuming we need the pen to be retractable (because that's convenient - you cannot lose a cap) how can the pen design be enhanced to discourage users from mechanically clicking it for no reason?

Answer 1

I think the first thing to do is to break down your premise that they are doing it "for no reason."

You are correct that clicking the pen does not engage the pen in its role as a writing implement. But if so many people are doing it (this writer included) it must serve some purpose to them.

The Wikipedia article you link to includes a list of causes of what it describes as "habitual pen-clicking" (sic), ranging from boredom and idle thinking to harassement to autistic self-stimulation.

Looking at these causes, I would suggest that the two best strategies to avoid pen clicking is: 1) remove the feedback from the clicking mechanism, and 2) where possible provide a more tempting (but less annoying feature).

1. The clicking sound, while the most annoying part for other parties, is only part of the feedback mechanism when retracting your pen. There's the sensation of pushing in the button, and a small physical kick that is felt in the pen button and throughout the pen when the retracting spring is called into action. I'm not an engineer, but supposing you couldn't suppress the sound I would focus on somehow suppressing the sensations.

This, however, comes at a cost. The feedback also serves a benign purpose of telling the user his action has taken hold without actually looking at the pen to see if the ball point is in or out.

2. To enable a user to displace his need for fidgeting, you could offer a silent little mechanism. Imagine, for instance, a ring around the top of the pen (just below the "clicker") that you can slide around silently without any other repercussion.

Anecdotally, I know myself to be a "fidgeter" someone who plays with his hands while working or listening. When I married I purposely got a textured ring so that it could be something for me to displace my energy and fidget with.

Answer 2

I have seen pens where the user must press the top to reveal the nib but to retract it again they must release a latch on the side. This certainly makes the process of habitual clicking slower.

My solution would be to rethink the model entirely - I have used pens in the past that operate on a twist mechanism which is entirely silent but still offers a retractable nib. Although, this also requires a two-handed operation instead of the one-handed operation offered by the standard (widely accepted) model.

With micro motors and actuators there may even be a way to motorise the extension and retraction of the nib but this would likely use a lot of room the could be taken for ink and would undoubtedly result is an extremely expensive pen that didn't write for very long before running out of ink or batteries or both.

Maybe there could be a small valve that controls the flow of ink rather than moving the nib...

However, the greatest selling point of having a pen with a retractable nib is convenience. If you make it as difficult as possible for users to click their pen out of habit then you also make your pen as difficult to use as possible for all users.

Answer 3

1. Keep what works and has stood the test of time

The current mechanism for extending and retracting a pen is super easy to use. It's so easy, in fact, that some people extend and retract their pen repeatedly without even thinking about it. Most people don't do this. We shouldn't alter a familiar thing in order to prevent a certain behavior by just a few. If a person wanted to stop they could always buy a pen that quietly twists open and close but this requires 2 hands to operate and isn't as simple. Remember that what is annoying to you could be therapeutic to them.

2. Improving the parts that could be better

It's possible to make the existing clicking mechanism a little quieter. It isn't possible to prevent rapid clickers from buying the cheapest loudest retractable pen on the market and clicking all day (if that's what soothes their soul).

3. Focus on the experience you can control

I really don't think that pen clickers are trying to annoy others on purpose. Politely let the clicker know that your concentration is suffering and they will usually stop at least for a while. You could also give a nice pen that quietly twists open and closed as a gift to all your clicker friends.

Headphones or earmuffs may be the universal UX solution to this problem that doesn't require any interaction with another person.

☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻

Answer 4

There's more than one type of mechanism for retractable pens. As others have said, besides the click-open, click-closed mechanism, there are ones with an end button to open and a side button to close.

I have seen some pens (mainly high-end metal body, Parker I think) that are opened and closed by a screw mechanism: about 1/2 turn clockwise to open (shorten) and 1/2 turn to close (lengthen.)

With a bit more force you can unscrew them completely, which is important because you can buy ink refills (biro type complete with ball) to go inside these high end pen bodies.

Answer 5

Click-ability and its side-effects

The habit of clicking on a retractable pen is just a evidence that the design of the retractable pen was done with affordance in mind. However this has had some side-effects where users will hijack a specific affordance to satsify conscious or a subconscious needs which results in the habitual pen clicking behavior:

Solution: Removing the Click-ability

We understand function from form

So, to avoid habitual clicking you need to maintain the function (retractable nib) and modify the form (Click-ability) in which case a two-step screw mechanism (twist) preserves the function and removes the click-ability affordance while also eliminating noise.

Answer 6

Make the pen button very sharp so there is a cost in pain or discomfort in clicking the pen. While some people might still habitually click the button (especially once their thumb is safely wrapped in band-aids) at least there would be quiet while they were looking for the first aid kit.

Also, it would be convenient if your business consists of a lot of blood oaths in that there would be a ready source of ink.

Answer 7

I would posit that the problem is annoyance to the other people around the person clicking the pen. Assuming that in all other regards the pen meets the purchaser's needs and wants, what about the pen isn't taking away from the quality of the experience? Based on the scenarios described by OP, the annoying clicking sound. Just like Mercedes Benz engineers the sound of it's door shutting, and Apple has a patent on it's boot-up tone, the best experience design includes engineering the sound the product makes. In this scenario, the only thing the pen needs is a more pleasing, less irritating click. Would anyone care if someone were manically clicking their retractable pen if it were a satisfying, quiet, almost organic pop, versus the usual high-pitched, irritating click?