Questions tagged [physical]
For questions involving physical interfaces and interactions with "real world" objects.
293
questions
14
votes
1
answer
687
views
How can you indicate a hidden button on the back of a device?
The first time I used an iMac it was a terrible user experience - I couldn't turn it on. I was scouring the keyboard and running my hands around the edge of it looking for the on button, or some magic ...
- 6,174
11
votes
2
answers
741
views
Is duping the consumer really a good business practice?
I have had this at the back of my mind for sometime and I believe UX is the proper place to post this though I may not phrase the question right so please chime in if you have suggestions!
There are ...
- 749
5
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Maximum set of stairs users are willing to climb before needing an elevator
I know this question has many variables related to ones own ambition / physical condition, but I'm wondering if you were to have a multi story building, what would be the maximum set of stairs a user ...
- 151
21
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Why do most dashboards use capital words?
Most car manufacturers seem to use ALL CAPS for the interiors's buttons and switches, at least when they are not using symbols. Example:
They even use capitals for things that are not even controls, ...
- 17.3k
69
votes
7
answers
21k
views
Why don't ATMs give you cash before your card?
I live in Australia, so this might not apply worldwide, but here, when withdrawing money, the ATM will give me back my bank card, then several seconds later the cash comes out.
This typically leads ...
- 801
11
votes
1
answer
629
views
Why do US food labels intermix desirable and undesirable properties without distinction?
I find it remarkable that the US FDA, after years of tweaking and no doubt lots of time and money invested, could only come up with a food label that is terribly confusing! The left side shows a ...
- 749
43
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Can stairs have a user experience?
Is there any UX consideration that goes into the design/construction of stairs? I know there are various local building codes and the ADA which regulate these things to some degree but stairs at ...
- 2,024
5
votes
1
answer
401
views
How could you design a dishwasher to always be able to tell whether the dishes are clean or dirty? [closed]
One problem my roommates and I have is figuring out whether the dishes are dirty or clean. How could you design a dishwasher to always tell whether the dishes inside are clean or dirty? How can we ...
- 2,317
19
votes
5
answers
984
views
Which placement of list of ingredients is most convenient for the cook?
In the process of doing the layout for a cookbook, I'm faced with the problem of placing the list of ingredients for each recipe. I've looked at several cookbooks and seen numerous approaches. I can ...
- 293
2
votes
1
answer
216
views
Is the label orientation on this product a message from the manufacturer?
I posted a question on the DIY SE site, and it was recommended that maybe a part of it would be better asked here.
Consider these two outlets:
The blue WR logo indicates that the outlet is "weather-...
- 341
9
votes
3
answers
490
views
Why is User Experience treated different in digital and physical stores?
When shopping online there is (from my experience) a well thought through design of all the steps from finding the product(s) you want and need to the check out process and purchase of the product(s). ...
- 54.9k
52
votes
12
answers
17k
views
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 ...
- 1,241
20
votes
6
answers
9k
views
Why do light switch buttons have up/down direction when it's really a toggle function?
If you do a quick image search on your favorite search engine on "light switch" you get a large number of images. Most of them have up and down direction, to represent state. Up for on in the US, and ...
- 54.9k
15
votes
4
answers
19k
views
Why is the accelerator pedal different
The question is in reference to cars.
The accelerator pedal is more elongated than the other two and usually softer as well. Why?
- 261
11
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Why did packaging for reams of paper change from paper to plastic?
After realizing UX includes the wonderfully apropos tag "physical" I am hoping to get some insight into something that has long been a conundrum for me: when the packaging around a ream of paper ...
- 749
11
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why do Pedestrian Traffic Signals only play the audible crossing notification for only a short duration and not for the entire duration of crossing?
As per with the American Disability Act (ADA), audible pedestrian signals are supposed to be implemented in most traffic signal projects. These audible signals are designed to assist visually impaired ...
- 43.8k
16
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Why do Juice cartons fail on opening?
When I open a simple juice carton I fail on opening. I always seem to waste some of the concentrated juice on the kitchen sink and I wonder – do I do it wrong or is it the package that does not have a ...
- 54.9k
6
votes
2
answers
375
views
Steps on stairs in groups of 8
I have noticed than most buildings with stairs, seem to group into 8 steps or 16 before each break, unless the total of steps are for example 6 or 10 and more/less steps would mean too high or too low ...
- 63
24
votes
8
answers
12k
views
Why do light switches find themselves OUTSIDE the room they light up in some European countries?
Okay, to be fair my experience is mostly with Poland, though I have observed this electrical interior design decision in a few neighboring countries while travelling, but can't generalize there.
...
- 361
14
votes
2
answers
3k
views
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 ...
- 251
241
votes
15
answers
57k
views
Why do most public toilet doors open inwards?
The design of most public restrooms greatly caters for the ability to wash hands after the use of the toilette, providing facilities like sinks - sometimes with touchless faucets - soap dispensers, ...
- 4,269
9
votes
8
answers
704
views
Order of physical controls: volume down, volume up, mute
My speaker has 3 physical buttons in this order:
volume down
volume up
mute
I find the order quite illogical, I would expect:
volume up
volume down
mute
Is there any convention on the order of ...
- 4,269
135
votes
6
answers
53k
views
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?
- 31.1k
11
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Is there any research available about the speed of working with a mouse vs. working with a trackpad?
I ask this because of a friend who never hooks up a mouse to his laptop because he claims he can work just as fast with a trackpad as with a mouse.
My personal experience is the other way around. I ...
- 377
4
votes
2
answers
328
views
Self Service Checkouts [closed]
I have, in the last few months, had to endure these hideous devices. I dislike them because I find them intensely patronising "Invalid item in bagging area" - no it isn't, it is the item you have just ...
- 9,131
39
votes
17
answers
21k
views
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 ...
- 501
6
votes
4
answers
619
views
One charger for all cell phones
I'm sure you all have experienced the same problem. The scenario is simple. You have forgotten to take your cell phone's charger with you, and your phone is going to be turned off, because it lacks ...
- 783
4
votes
3
answers
594
views
Air keyboard - does it exist?
Is there some kinect-like device with an application that lets users type in the air and reads what keys they would have typed, were there a keyboard? Even a prototype or a research effort?
It ...
- 495
10
votes
5
answers
987
views
What are the User Experience disciplines in the analog world? [closed]
It is clear to me that User Experience (UX) is about how a person feels about using a product, system or service.
This website is focused on the digital world, but what happens on the analog world? ...
- 231
15
votes
4
answers
8k
views
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 ...
- 259
21
votes
6
answers
3k
views
Bathrooms near elevators
Some office buildings have communal bathrooms (British English: lavatories). By this I mean bathrooms for use by the tenants and guests of all the offices on that floor, as opposed to bathrooms under ...
- 637
2
votes
1
answer
81
views
Applying research on the ‘signposting’ of categories in a system with a large number of different items - to a physical world environment
Does any body know of either:
1 / Any research which looks at the best ways to categorise and signpost items in a system with a large number of items ? (This could be in a standard software ...
- 11.2k
11
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Reason for blinking laptop power light on suspend
My HP Pavilion laptop has a power light on the switch (a slide-and-release switch). This light is off when the computer is off or hibernated, constantly on when the power is on, and it blinks when the ...
- 285
8
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What are the benefits of non-QWERTY keyboards?
I'm stuck with QWERTY, but have been tempted to try Dvorak. Dvorak advocates claim it's faster.
Are there any studies that compare these two (main) keyboard layouts? Are there other layouts out there ...
- 1,759
21
votes
9
answers
8k
views
Why do alarm clocks not all come with 5/7 day alarms for the working week?
In all the advances in usability why do alarm clocks still wake us up on Saturday? Why not only Monday to Friday instead of being set every night?
Do we have to rely on our mobile phone if we want ...
- 355
29
votes
7
answers
5k
views
How can a TV Remote's UX be improved?
TV remotes have the astounding distinction of having about half as many keys as my keyboard and one thousandth the functionality. The problem stems from the (perceived) need to present every possible ...
- 40.8k
495
votes
23
answers
46k
views
Why do people clear the screen multiple times when using a calculator?
I've noticed that most people when using a real or a virtual calculator, they hit the Clear button multiple times when clearing the screen (even though hitting it once is enough), so I started ...
- 5,787
28
votes
10
answers
4k
views
Traffic lights: "yellow" is progress, not state
When thinking about how (real-world) traffic lights work, I wonder if there is a more intuitive way to display the yellow light. The meaning of Green and Red are states:
Green: Ok, you can go!
Red: ...
- 2,284
14
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What is the reason for Concave round buttons in Elevators
What is the reason many elevators have concave shaped buttons.
Like this:
Any special reason behind this?
- 265
2
votes
3
answers
902
views
What is the best user interface you have ever used/seen in real-world or real-world objects? [closed]
Exclude all web/mobile/application/computer software interfaces.
- 31
6
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Should a light switch be small or big, or does this depend on other factors? [closed]
Small and big light switch compared:
It's strange that this usually differs by country. The big ones are easier to hit, but the small ones provide better feedback (if you don't immediately see the ...
user371
8
votes
2
answers
389
views
Do manufacturers of markers produce different shapes for each type (whiteboard/permanent) so you can tell the difference by touch?
In the sense that this is an interface with the user of pens, I thought this might be an acceptable place to ask this question, but if it's just application interfaces, then please remove or close ...
- 1,005
28
votes
7
answers
15k
views
Why does the Redbox machine have barriers around the credit card swipe reader?
Perhaps you've seen one of these before.
A couple of inches above and below the magnetic stripe reader are protrusions that allow just enough room to swipe a credit card. The barriers are a negative ...
- 14.1k