Questions tagged [physical]
For questions involving physical interfaces and interactions with "real world" objects.
293
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Is "at the front" top, or bottom?
At our office we have a dual garbage bin behind a door. Let's put aside the fact that you have to open a door, and then pull out the bins.
What has puzzled me is that the labels were placed on each ...
CommunityBot
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2
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4
answers
154
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Could elevators not have call buttons?
Do elevators need call buttons? Shouldn't the elevator be called if someone stands in front of the door? I see many questions about people pressing the buttons for different banks of elevators and so ...
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35
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8
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Why are AC adapters (wall warts) designed to block adjacent AC outlets?
The AC adapters for a lot of equipment seem to be specifically designed to block the AC outlets around it (this is in the US).
Is this a safety feature to minimize the power to that outlet or just ...
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0
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1
answer
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How small preferences in microwave ovens are chosen by the manufacturers
Dealing with several microwave ovens during the lifetime I find that there are at least a couple of peculiarities I'd rather have my way, but they're not usually listed in specifications. I'm not ...
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13
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3
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Why do keyboard keys have (most) letters in top left corner?
I was just looking at my keyboard (Logitech K200) for the millionth time and realized that the names of each key were "mostly" in the top left. The row of numbers at the top is just left aligned with ...
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9
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Why don't sandwich toasters have an on/off switch?
The absolute majority of electrical appliances have an On/Off switch. However, the absolute majority of sandwich toasters do not - you just plug them into the socket and unplug them when you're done. ...
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0
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1
answer
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LED blink pattern on Boot - Any best practices for UX?
I have an embedded device. During the boot process, the only feedback the user receives comes from a programmable RGB LED. That is, I am able to blink, fade, turn on/off etc. The whole boot process ...
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4
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1
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Why did Ergonomics and Physical UX "fall out of the map" in the UX field?
As most UX professionals know, UX essentially began with Ergonomics and Human Factors, and from there it evolved by incorporating additional disciplines, particularly those related to the digital ...
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Why are most public restroom faucets so short?
My question was inspired by this one. The majority of public restrooms have huge sinks and short faucets. When I wash my hands, most of the time I touch the back wall of the sink and that makes me ...
1
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Why does the Apple Watch SOS feature require you to swipe instead of press?
I'm looking at the SOS features across smartwatches. I'm curious why does the Apple SOS feature require you to swipe instead of simply having buttons to press? It seems counter-intuitive to make it ...
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Best UX pattern for uploading multiple pictures on a mosaic
I am building an online print on demand tool. The final result is a physical object with several faces, each face containing an user-uploaded picture.
I want users to be able to upload a pictures from ...
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8
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4
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Why is the R in front of the D gear in cars (and vice versa)?
Most (or all) cars that have an automatic transmission have the reverse gear in front of the drive (forward) gear (and vice versa). What was the reasoning behind putting reverse (R) in the front and ...
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4
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Why don't elevators automatically go to the ground floor after being idle for some time?
I work in a regular 10-story office building with 4 elevators. Every morning I notice a situation where all 4 elevators happily sit on one of the topmost floors until someone pushes the button from ...
135
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6
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Why do numpads on keyboards and phones have reversed layouts?
I came across this on the web. It's supposed to be funny, but we all know better :)
So, why are the numpad layouts different, and what are the reasons behind each?
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What is going on with the user interface of the gas range/oven in the apt I moved into?
Similar to/inspired by Why do stove dials rotate from "max to min" instead of "min to max"? but actually the opposite on many points.
At this new-for-me (pretty terribly run IMO) ...
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4
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Why do manufacturers of most small/medium refrigerators default the door to swing counter-clockwise?
Most people are right-handed, right hand is handy.
However, most small/medium refrigerator doors swing counter-clockwise (top view) by default. This forces you to move/arrange heavy things with your ...
15
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5
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How to differentiate rechargeable from non-rechargeable batteries?
(For example) AA batteries are available as rechargeable and non-rechargeable variants.
As they are of identical construction, you have to read the tiny text on the battery to find out if they are ...
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0
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2
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Automated Machinery with On/Off states and Auto On/Off states
Background and question
There's been a few discussions around clearly showing to users on/off and auto states. However, I'd like to focus on automated controls in the context of machinery with moving ...
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2
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Why in the UK are there pedestrian crossings with two sets of indication signals - one above the other?
This has baffled me for a long time: why pedestrian crossings are installed in the UK with two sets of cross / don't cross indicators - one above the other.
On this set I saw recently it's not even ...
8
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4
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Keyboard shortcuts on non-QWERTY keyboard layouts
I've been using the Dvorak keyboard layout for a few years, and something that's always bothered me is keyboard shortcuts. On a QWERTY keyboard copy and paste are conveniently positioned as Ctrl+C and ...
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Why are messages on the road printed in reverse?
After reading this question, something occurred to me that I've always wondered - but never thought to ask.
Why are road messages/signs printed in reverse?
(source https://xkcd.com/781/)
Anytime I ...
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3
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1
answer
1k
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Spring force for physical push buttons
Are there any design guides or existing studies that provide recommendations for the spring force (e.g. initial force [lb, kg] and force increase [lb/in, kg/mm]) of a physical momentary push button ...
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How to stop car lights being left on
The lights in cars can be a very frustrating experience for users. Most of us who drive have left our lights on and quite a few of us will have come to our cars to find them completely unusable for ...
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Is there a benefit from driving on one side of the road, while sitting in the other side of the car?
I've noticed that cars/automobiles manufactured for countries with right-hand traffic (where vehicles drive on the right hand side of the road) place the driver's seat on the left hand side of the car ...
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5
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Volume controls: Why is left down and right up?
I see a lot of people discuss the order of buttons (e.g., should OK be on the left and cancel on the right? or submit button on the left or right?) but something that I wonder:
Why do volume ...
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Designing interface to accommodate physical devices with different number & layout of ports
The following device is a network switch.
This particular model contains 24 ports, arranged into 2 rows with 12 ports on each.
There exists hundreds of models of switches, each with different number &...
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How to design a physical device?
I have an idea for a product startup. It is a wearable device with one functionality, around which I and my friend started to think. We are pretty sure that we can develop it with only this ...
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28
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9
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QR vs Barcode vs Custom Code
Scenario
We must identify persons and also associate objects with them. This is for a very large cerebral palsy center for children that provides various services, some in different buildings (there ...
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52
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12
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Why don't most elevator panels let you unselect?
We've all seen it in the movies where a kid will push all the buttons in an elevator. We've all likely done it - accidentally hit the wrong floor.
There's no unselect after you select a floor in an ...
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Why are child-resistant packages sometimes easier to open by kids than adults?
Based on discussions with friends and colleagues there seem to be difficulties opening child-resistant packages in general. There are even stories of parents letting their kids (supervised) open child ...
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17
answers
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Traffic lights: why yellow before green?
Traffic lights around the world use the yellow light to warn people that it will soon turn to red, so that people can stop before. This is perfectly understandable.
However, I found out that in some ...
JonW♦
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Does an on/off switch still means on/off when positioned horizontally?
I'm working on a custom piece of hardware where a fan is turned on and off automatically. The user can override the decision of the automatic system through a switch. Activating the switch when the ...
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What is the benefit of 2 drive thru lanes at a fast food restaurant?
The following photo shows the drive thru lane at a fast food restaurant. The lane splits in two to allow 2 drivers to place their order at the same time.
The following photo shows an overhead view ...
93
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26
answers
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How to avoid the "local elevator" problem?
I live in a high-rise apartment building in New York. Our building has four resident elevators which each serve every residential floor. (An additional fifth elevator (physically separated from the ...
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Why are stove controls like this?
Most UIs that show incremental controls provide consistent levels. For example, a volume control will incrementally change sound from inaudible to maximum levels of loudness with a consistent change ...
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5
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Why do electric fan knobs often place the highest setting right after the off position?
Electric fans are often controlled by a knob which the user turns to power the fan on or off, and control the fan's speed.
On a lot of fans, the knob goes immediately from the off position to the ...
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2
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Organising Spices for Cooking
In my kitchen I use a variety of spices, both powders and loose whole spices, numbering maybe 30 or 40 individual ingredients. Each one needs to be kept separate and reasonably well sealed while also ...
25
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14
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Why do physical keyboards still have built-in numpads?
Normally I use a wireless keyboard without a number pad and a mouse right next to it. Having started a new job, I was finding my right arm somewhat more sore. This was confusing until I realized:
...
CommunityBot
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How to encourage people to move to the back of the bus?
The diagram below shows the layout of the public transportation buses in my city:
What this 2-dimensional diagram cannot show properly is that the rear area of the bus is raised about 2 feet above ...
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12
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Do signs printed on the road offer a significant advantage for the user over signs on a post?
I was driving earlier today and I came across a stretch of road that didn't have signs for the speed limit but instead had it written on the road like so:
Image source
It got me thinking that it ...
CommunityBot
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3
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1
answer
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Most visible wavelength/ color for mesopic vision
Is there an established study that demonstrates which is the most visible wavelength range under Mesopic Vision conditions? Ideally, they shouldn't refer to Scotopic Vision (since I have enough data ...
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1
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Why get rid of transponder-read status lights at tolls?
When driving through a toll both with a transponder, it is common to have some form of display feedback to the driver. For example, the US state of Maryland has an explanation here showing the three ...
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2
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Why are tactile ground surface indicators potential slip hazards?
For those who are not familiar with the technical sounding term for something that you see in normal everyday life in the city, tactile pavings, also known as tactile ground surface indicators (TGSI) ...
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Appropriate use of and child-proof alternatives to screwed-down battery covers
On lots of electronic devices with replaceable batteries, the battery cover is secured by a screw.
I understand that it may be necessary to protect against child access to the battery bay, but using ...
- 11.2k
106
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9
answers
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What reason could Nintendo have had for putting the A and B buttons in a non-alphabetical order?
When Nintendo brought out its first game system, the NES, it had a controller with four buttons:
Select
Start
A
B
However, somewhere, a designer, in their infinite wisdom, decided that the A and B ...
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vote
4
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175
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Modifying a rotary ceiling fan dial so it can be operated by touch
My ceiling fans are controlled by wall dials. The dial has 5 positions - off,1,2,3,4 - and spins between them without stopping (meaning you can turn from off to both 1 and 4 directly, the rotation is ...
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1
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3k
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Why do American windows open upwards?
I've seen a lot of windows in the US that open by sliding upwards. I'm from Europe where all windows open sideways by pivoting on hinges.
I was wondering why the reasons are and why they are so ...
2
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1
answer
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Physical device and app user testing
I'm looking for any resources that you might know of that deals with user testing a physical device, in this case, a toy, that works with an app.
I've searched a few times and haven't found any ...
CommunityBot
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Why do trunks for cars typically open upwards?
The other day I saw a car where the trunk's door opened sideways like the other car doors, instead of upwards like they usually do. That got me thinking; why does the door for a car's trunk usually ...
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139
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19
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Which way should be "on" for a switch?
Most of us use switches every day in various forms. And although there are sometimes general norms in countries as to which direction is "on", there is variation between countries.
So when ...
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