Water Cooler Interface: All tech, no usability

From colleague Marc Fenigstein, here's a photo of a high-tech water cooler that draws water from the moisture in the air. Unfortunately, its designers seem to have put all their efforts into showing off the crazy tech, and none at all into practical usability. The display is cluttered with info that isn't needed by the average user who just wants a glass of water. I'll let Marc take it from here: "Even with the help from the office labeling machine, I still don't know how to make it work. Also, don't name your water purifier after food poisoning." Well put, Marc!

2 comments:

Ruairi Galavan said...

I wrote about this way back in 2007: http://www.iqcontent.com/blog/2007/09/if-its-not-broken-why-fix-it/

"...it is a typical example of where style, flashy buttons and a curvy design prevailed over simple, honest, good usability..."

Dave Gustafson said...

Very nice, Ruairi - I couldn't agree more!