How Oldies Can Show Leadership

Gee it's a bummer when things are designed so poorly by not considering the hassles that the poor design can cause - especially for 'oldies'. Poor product design can cause unnecessary difficulties.Consider this real-life example. I recently installed a new dishwasher. I finally located the serial number on the side of the door, not the top. This made viewing the serial number quite challenging. In fact, if the dishwasher was being mounted in a corner, it would have been impossible
to see the number. Damn! Why do companies insist on using 0 and o and O in their serial numbers, as well as 1 and I? If they used nothing but letters or words, there'd be no confusion: easy to remember, hard to get wrong. And, if that wasn't enough, the number was in really small type.
Of course, serial numbers, the type of font used, and size are merely symptoms. The key issue is design, and design is about function. You don't need to be an oldie, of course, to appreciate the need for much better design features. Too bad that we tend to find out about these things only after we get them home
No doubt, we can site our own examples of poor design, but one thing for certain is that if it's designed properly, most hassles will disappear.
There are three things that we can do.

1. We have to consider what might go wrong, or, if it's too late for that, what's not right. We'll then be more likely to design something (or have something designed) that does what we want it to, and, therefore, satisfies the Goldilocks Principle by being just right.


2. We have to become even more vocal and let the manufacturer know about poor design features. The manufacturer is likely to be most appreciative enabling a design change before the sales figures point to a need to act - free market research. As always, the key, is to make sure that we're providing the feedback to the 'right' person.


3. We have to focus on the key issue, as distinct from the symptoms. While the placement of the serial number, confusing numerals and letters of the alphabet, the type of font used, or the type size may cause unnecessary hassles, design remains the key issue.

As Paul Rand said, 'Everything is design. Everything!