DET Ch. 1

The first chapter of "The Design of Everyday Things", by Donald Norman really resonated with me. I especially enjoyed the "door" examples he gave, because it is something every reader can relate to. It was surprising to realize just how much we tolerate as consumers, on a daily basis. We have learned to cope with bad design, and work around complicated, non-intuitive functions. Although the chapter doesn't necessarily answer the question the author poses at the start: "Why do we put up with the frustrations of everyday objects?" it did get me thinking - and attempting, to answer the same question myself. It also opened my mind to how complex we are as human beings, to be able to handle upwards of 20k individual products in our lives.

There is one particular product in my room that has caused me a good deal of frustration for the past few weeks. It's a simple product - and intuitive. However, it simply does not work properly according to its affordance. The product is the Quirky Prop Power Extension Cord. In theory, the product is supposed to be a flexible extension cord, built to wrap around any vertical protrusion to give you easy access to a power outlet.

The Quirky Prop Power wraps around objects like ladders

After all, an object with a corrugated and flexible body should afford to wrap.  Unfortunately though, it does not. There are three reasons why this object cannot carry out it's civic duty:

1. The corrugated body of the extension cord does a horrible job of binding to the service it is trying to grip onto. The plastic is slippery, with no rubber coating. Therefore, when you wrap the cord around something like a bed post, it just slides down. This is related to the next issue, which is:

2. It does not wrap tight enough. As hard as you pull and curl it around an object, it always lets loose as soon as you let go. It doesn't remain as snug as you would like it. Furthermore, anytime you unplug anything, it completely unravels, and you have to tug at it again. You therefore need to find a place that will sort of "prop it up", such as a "T" shaped post.

3. It cannot handle weight. I finally found a place on my bed post where it could stay relatively stable and upright. So it was then time to plug something in. I went for my laptop charger since that's what I needed the extension cord for most. In order for my laptop charger to fit US sized outlets, I need an adapter. This adapter served to be too much for the already vulnerable Prop Power, and it immediately tipped over, now "flopped over" against the wood of my bed frame. This didn't defeat the convenience of having an outlet at the base of my bed, but it did not look as pretty as the picture above. For $19.95, I couldn't help but feel annoyed.

The conceptual model for Prop Power is very intuitive and simple

In conclusion, even an object with no buttons and no complex manual, can be infuriating to work with when it cannot afford what it is supposed to.  If it looks like it should wrap around something. And if its sole purpose, its selling point,  is to wrap around something. It should do it with no issues.

This raises a few questions:
- Why didn't the designers spend less time on pretty packaging, and more time on getting the product to work flawlessly?
- Why did the designers skip out on rubber grips..etc? Was it price point?
- What sort of customers did Quirky test the product with?