Questions tagged [physical]
For questions involving physical interfaces and interactions with "real world" objects.
293
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How does the projection-angle of road arrows change drivers' expectations of the appropriate speed in a curve?
Have any studies been conducted to decide the 'print angle' (anamorphic projection) of road signage?
Are there any other expectations involved?
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Why are soft drink bottles round, and milk cartons square?
EDIT: The coke bottle I am referring to in the question is 1.25L.
Why are soft drink bottles round, but milk cartons square?
The milk carton is more utilitarian, being more space efficient, and ...
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2
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What does "form factor" mean when referring to software?
I'm asking about when the term is used in context of software UI.
I see Wikipedia articles related to hardware when Googling the term, but not sure what people mean when they refer to it in context ...
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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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11
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How to design a great unboxing experience?
I'm looking for examples or case studies for designing a manual for a physical as well as a digital product.
We have an app which needs to be controlled by a physical checklist. Now I'm starting to ...
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3
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Why is the caps lock key often so big on a keyboard?
It seems that the caps lock key is not a frequently used key on a computer keyboard yet on all the keyboards I have used, it is afforded a significant amount of interface real estate, often as much as ...
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26
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11
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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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How to stop people becoming marooned on a causeway
This question is based on a real world scenario…
There is a causeway, roughly 1/4 of a mile long, over which the tide rapidly rises twice a day, rendering the tourist hot spot at the wrong end of it ...
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2
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Why do coins in some countries not display their denomination? [closed]
Coins have two levels of interfaces: a physical interface (their size, shape and weight) -- usable by vending machines and to certain extent by people with long-established habits of using these coins;...
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Why is the "Record" icon always round and usually red?
I've been wondering why the symbol for 'record' is universally (AFAIK - has anyone seen exceptions?) a circle and usually red. Cameras, VCRs, voice recorders, smartphones, web apps... I've seen cases ...
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Childproof washing machine
My little boy (11 months old) has just discovered how the buttons and dials of the washing machine work. This is inconvenient, because the machine does not react well to random button mashing while it'...
- 1,426
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2
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Is it better to mirror a real-world system for specialized users?
I'm designing a web interface for a control-center kind of thing that's extremely information-dense because it controls a fairly complex system. To an outsider, it's kind of been like trying to make ...
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7
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Why do ATMs need to take your card in?
In every ATM I've seen, the card is "swallowed" by the machine, and returned at one point or another (or not, if you type the wrong PIN 3 times or whatever). This leads to people forgetting the card, ...
- 737
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4
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Keyboard number row ordering
On a typical keyboard, why is the 0 in the number row next to the 9 instead of the 1?
This seems like a question which should have a straight-forward answer, but the only one I could find is this ...
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How can the mode of a car's transmission be made more clear?
In a car, if you press the accelerator it can do one of three things:
make the car go forward.
make the car go backward.
not move the car at all.
The result depends on what gear the car is in, but ...
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33
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A better condom user experience
The lack of use of condoms is one of the most critical issues in global health today. However the problems with condoms have little to do with how effective they are when used. Instead the problems ...
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Elevator dispatch algorithm choice
We have a single elevator servicing an 8 level residential building. What might be the optimal elevator positioning algorithm to optimize user experience (primarily, wait time)?
I was thinking ...
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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:
...
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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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3
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Is this a Mapping or Visibility issue?
I am thinking about whether my faucet has an issue with mapping, or visibility.
I searched for the shower button for 5 minutes! Can you find the mechanism to turn on the shower (rather than have ...
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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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Designing UX for an In Vehicle Infotainment system
I am working on an In Vehicle Infotainment System. This is one particular use case I am finding difficult to think in terms of UX :
There is an IVI system attached in car which can take commands ...
- 313
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Newspaper design
Why hasn't the traditional newspaper design changed much in years? Wouldn't they be easier to hold and read if newspapers were smaller and more book-like?
I am guessing that the newspapers are ...
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Why are sinks always rounded?
I've noticed a trend recently that some sinks have a flat base, but they seem to be few and far between. Are there any reasons related to UX for why sinks have traditionally always been round?
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Where are the most optimal places to put laptop speakers?
I got one of these computers for Christmas. Overall, I thought it was a pretty average laptop....
...except for one thing, the speakers. The speakers are placed at the lower left and right hand ...
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137
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Who needs an external on/off Wi-Fi button?
It puzzles me that there are Laptops which are shipped with external physical Wi-Fi buttons. I see no real use of it, but it might have a historical explanation?! The only time one notice the external ...
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Headlight and Indicators on the handlebar OR on the front panel of the Scooter that you drive?
There are 3 designs existing now:
Headlight and indicator lights both on the handle.
Headlight on the handle but indicator lights on the front panel.
Headlight and indicator lights both on the front ...
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35
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8
answers
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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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4
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Controls on moving controls?
It hit me today when driving home from work turning right in a highly busy crossing. I wanted to lower the music volume but couldn’t find the control without looking. On previous cars I’ve owned, the ...
- 54.9k
106
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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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47
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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. ...
- 31.1k
4
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2
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152
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Does having WiFi spots and similar equipment visible improve user experience?
Suppose I'm planning an office or a restaurant or a city. I need to plan where I have wireless communication spots installed. Those may be WiFi spots or cell towers or DECT phone spots.
I've planned ...
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How can users be prevented from pouring water into the bean compartment of a coffee machine?
Typical coffee machines have two user-accessible compartments: one for water and one for coffee beans. Pouring water into the bean compartment kills most machines, the repairs cost a fortune.
Now ...
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Is the middle power option 50% or 60%?
A friend of mine has a blender with 6 control selections: One off position, and five power settings in order of less to more power. Example below:
A discussion has erupted over whether or not the ...
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Why did Google opt-out of hardware buttons for Nexus devices?
Are there any real UX reasons to remove hardware buttons from Android Nexus devices?
In above Nexus 4 the bottom part is wasted space - won't adding buttons like menu/back/home make it more useful?
...
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11
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"Tool" or "target" on vacuum cleaner pedal?
I always get confused by the icons on my vacuum cleaner pedal.
Take a look at the upper icon.
Is that icon representing
1) The tool. I.e. "Your now using the pedal without the brush" (ergo, on a ...
- 12.6k
7
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2
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278
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Interesting visualizations for a personnel in-out control
I have a database with the data of all the company personnel in and out through several facilities (All people must put their fingerprint in the scanner to open doors)
I'm looking for interesting way ...
- 1,475
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5
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How useful is this coffee cup "hot contents" warning?
I came across this on Dan Pink's blog.
This caption on a coffee cup is supposed to serve as a warning sign to caution people that the coffee is hot and care must be taken to avoid burns.
The problem ...
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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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2
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Conditioning users
Playing around with my heat in my new Volkswagen GTI, I noticed when you press the heated seats button once, it starts you off with maximum greatness (3 / 3) press it again it goes down ( 2 / 3) (1 / ...
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Dice and Domino Dot Convention
I noticed dice and dominos both use the same convention for dot placement. Is there a reason for this? Is there any research on how to layout dots so that they are most readable?
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What’s the use of vertical guide lines when filling out forms using handwriting?
I’m quite fast making shopping lists via handwriting, and I think I’m not alone using small notes instead of trying to make lists in my phone. But when I come to the store and they give me a discount ...
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Why do people mount TVs so high on the wall in their homes? [closed]
When I was a kid, movie theatres tended to have the screens fairly high and the seats were all at or near ground level (very gentle slope), meaning we all looked up at the screen. Over time people ...
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2
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How to create effective experiences/emotion to change punctured tyres for a car? [closed]
Keeping climate, location and gender into consideration, the mechanism of changing punctured tyres have not seen greater changes? Still it takes energy,effort and time, moreover awful experience ...
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Why is a manual transmission so complicated? [closed]
While driving I noticed that the gearbox is complicated for a first time users. I find it hard to tell which gear my car is in while driving.
Is there a reason for this design, and is there a better ...
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56
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14
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9k
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Why do Microwave oven UIs fail?
I’m not a professional chef, but I do know my way around the kitchen and its machines. The dishwasher, the fridge, the freezer, the stove and the oven all works as expected in many homes. Could you ...
- 54.9k
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How to handle settings which can be both set mechanically and via a computer?
I develop a device, which can be configured via a handful of binary settings. These can be set with mechanical switches (of course, internally they are evaluated electronically)
However, optionally, ...
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2
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2
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Wireframing hardware dashboards/control panels - best practice
For an upcoming customer project, I will be dealing with control center UI, including visualization on-screen software, but also hardware control panels and dashboards.
The project emphasizes on ...
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4
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Traffic light, no more shapes?
I remember when I was a kid. Each traffic lights had different shapes. Red = Square, Yellow = Triangle, Green = Circle. Now all the traffic lights that I see are round.
Is there a reason why they don'...
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What are the usability benefits of using multiple monitors?
I've read a lot of articles suggesting that work patterns are more effective when using more than one monitor. But why is that the case, from an HCI perspective?
And as follow-up questions, are there ...
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