1. Me vs. Design Daniel Kim
The Rice Cooker
One non-desktop user interface I often interact with is our apartment’s rice cooker. This
device is primarily used in the kitchen with one simple purpose: to cook rice (or keep it heated
when done cooking). With only one simple purpose, it makes sense for the rice cooker to have a
simple interface. Since it’s also used in the kitchen often, the rice cooker also needs to be
aesthetically pleasing.
One thing I like about the rice cooker is how it’s so simple to use. There is a switch that
can change the setting to cook rice or porridge. Then a lever needs to be pushed to have it start
cooking. This simple interface is very simple. Another strength of the design is that it is
pleasant to look at. Our kitchen has white walls and a granite-like counter top, so the white
colors of the rice cooker fits well with the kitchen. Small flowers and hints of green gives it
color to look pleasing. And finally, I like how the designers put in a drainage hole for water to
go into when the lid is opened and the condensed water falls from the lid and onto the rice
cooker. It’s a small thing, but not every rice cooker has that feature.
However, not everything with the rice cooker is designed well. First, the rice cooker
lacks an on/off switch. It seems so trivial, but the only way to turn on or off the rice cooker is to
plug and unplug it. Adding an on/off switch is a simple fix for this problem. Another problem is
with the interface. Since it’s so simple, it’s sometimes easy to mistake whether rice is actually
cooking or not. When the rice cooker is plugged in, the “Cook” light automatically turns on,
despite the fact that it’s actually not cooking. The only way to be sure if it is actually cooking is
to check if the lever was depressed. Having a light to show whether the cooker is on or off
would help, or change the “Cook” light to only turn on when the cooker is actually cooking the
rice. The final design issue is the button to open the lid of the cooker. The button is placed on
top of the lid, which makes it difficult to open if you’ve never used it. It needs to be pushed
down, despite the fact that the lid needs to open upwards. Moving the button below the lid like
on some CD players is a very simple fix.
The Shower
Another interface I interact with is our apartment’s shower. Obviously, showers are
located in bathrooms. Since water temperature is controlled with two pipes (one for cold water
and another for hot water), it makes sense for there to be two knobs to control the volume of
water. The interface should also be simple, since taking a shower shouldn’t be a difficult mental
task.
One strength of the interface is that it has two knobs to control each temperature of water,
giving more control over volume and temperature. I prefer this setup over showers that have
only one knob, since I’ve personally had more problems controlling the temperature with one
knob. I also like how the faucet is designed. Most shower faucets have a small nub to pull up in
order to use the shower nozzle, but this one has you pull down on the faucet nozzle instead. I’ve
had experiences with the nub often weakening over time, so I believe this design would last
longer. Finally, this shower has a rough floor that helps prevent slipping while taking a shower.
Most showers I’ve been in lacked these kinds of floors, requiring the purchase of a mat to go
over the floor.
One issue I have with the design of the shower is with the same two knobs that I’ve
praised previously. Most showers either have knobs that pull out or turn counter-clockwise to
turn them on. However, these knobs must turn in opposite directions in order to turn them on.
