The UX of (everyday) small things
The curious case of three switches
Our story begins in the summer bygone.
The actors: three switches and a maid.
My maid comes every morning for the room-cleaning ritual. As I step out, the sound of her attempting to turn off the fan echoes in my ear.
Click-click, click-click, click! It was always three or five clicks, and never one. It annoyed me that she did it every single day. Is she confused with the way two-way switches work? Doesn’t she remember which one is for the fan? After going through this ritual every single day?
Then I remembered the golden words: ‘design-thinkers always try to find out a better approach, and not complain about a problem’. This clearly showed how less of an innate design-thinker I am.
Alright, solving this should be easy. I grabbed some medical tape, cut it, and wrote “F” and “L” indicating Fan and Light respectively.
Sure, the earth went around the sun once, and, she was there the next day.
I slowly stepped out of my room, turned back and waited with a grin of ultimate complacency.
I heard it again.
Click-click, click-click, click!
What the actual fudge? Simultaneously, my mind graciously played the fail trumpet sound from the cartoons. (Thanks, mind)
What could have happened? AHA! Of course! She does not understand the English alphabets!
I repeated the steps, but this time with the visual language of Iconography.
Booyah!
One click.
Every day since then.
UX is not a term confined to computers. UX is all about making it easy for any consumer, whatever the product might be.
UX is common sense.
Be a design thinker. There must be a dozen things in your room and workplace you could optimize. Try fixing it. NOW!
The Importance Of Design
Surround yourself with beautiful design too. You will be motivated to work better and more peacefully in better conditions.
If there’s some gadget/app/tool/furniture that will make your life at least 10% better or easier, buy it. If you have an idea to optimize something around your house that will make your life at least 10% better or easier, do it.
Small changes to your surroundings can work wonders in the long-run.
A second chance
Flashback to mid 2009. Infosys training days, Mysore DC. Fun times. Rahul was...