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Don Norman on how design fails older consumers

fastcompany.com

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Re: Don Norman on how design fails older consumers

#131

Post by jodrellblank »

altitudinous wrote: post #61

I'm 51 and work in tech. I now understand the nuances in this article. I'll probably understand them better as time goes on. Young readers probably skimmed over the bits about floaters in the eyes. Everyone older than 50 gets it. Young readers probably skimmed over the bit about frequency definition, captions etc. Everyone older than 50 gets it. I don't get the bit with walking sticks yet, but I am not there yet. But…

Young readers probably skimmed over the bits about floaters in the eyes. Everyone older than 50 gets it.

Jordan Peterson claimed in an interview with Joe Rogan, that his meat only diet got rid of his visual floaters, and that they are an autoimmune problem.

I question how much they are autoimmune, but I've never noticed anyone talking about getting rid of them, deliberately or as a side effect, before.

Any other anecdotes out there about this kind of thing?

Re: Don Norman on how design fails older consumers

#132

Post by [deleted] »

dr_dshiv wrote: post #110
altitudinous wrote: post #61

I'm 51 and work in tech. I now understand the nuances in this article. I'll probably understand them better as time goes on. Young readers probably skimmed over the bits about floaters in the eyes. Everyone older than 50 gets it. Young readers probably skimmed over the bit about frequency definition, captions etc. Everyone older than 50 gets it. I don't get the bit with walking sticks yet, but I am not there yet. But…

Is it just me, or do TVs have the WORST user experience of all tech? Somehow, they can get away with it. I've always wanted a consumer electronics brand that was known specifically for usability. For commodity tech, like TVs, radios, monitors, music, I don't want the most impressive specs -- I want a brand that means "we will be easier to use than the other brands". Choosing between Panasonic, Sony, LG, etc etc.. it'…

[deleted]

Re: Don Norman on how design fails older consumers

#133

Post by marcosdumay »

logicprog wrote: post #108
Moru wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And make the driver look at a screen to adjust temperature / fan or whatever.

I already have to look at the knobs in my car to see what I'm doing with them (or even find them in the first place). Is this true for anyone else? I'm reading this thread totally unable to understand what we are arguing about haha.

Temperature settings have famously bad controllers. I guess it's because they are new, and car designers didn't have time to compete on quality of those yet.

You can control the radio of any high-end 00's car without looking at the controls.

Re: Don Norman on how design fails older consumers

#134

Post by gubbrora »

EricE wrote: post #33

The trend towards lack of physical controls in cars is absolutely bonkers. I'm gobsmacked anyone thinks the Tesla Model 3 is good design. Same with desk phones. Anyone who deals with customers at a counter doesn't have time to constantly look at a touch screen for buttons that may or may not be there. Nothing like chucking muscle memory out the window in the name of aesthetics :p

I have a big clunky deskphone. I have yet to make or receive a call on it. The desk real estate it occupies is a bigger cost to me than however many seconds I can eventually save.

Re: Don Norman on how design fails older consumers

#135

Post by marcosdumay »

gliop wrote: post #94
gav wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard to empathize with abstract people, you need to observe and engage actual people in their environment, which costs time and money. Too often people are stuck in a conference room talking about personas. I've ended up frustrated at clients telling them "you are not your customers" endless times. It's amazing how much you learn getting out and talking to customers. One of my favorite examples is for a company…

Personas are a massive improvement over designing for yourself or worse designing for what's fun to design.

Are they?

If you design for yourself at least you are using a real person. Personas are invariably about the same as designing for what's fun.

Re: Don Norman on how design fails older consumers

#137

Post by ASalazarMX »

gubbrora wrote: post #134
EricE wrote: post #33

The trend towards lack of physical controls in cars is absolutely bonkers. I'm gobsmacked anyone thinks the Tesla Model 3 is good design. Same with desk phones. Anyone who deals with customers at a counter doesn't have time to constantly look at a touch screen for buttons that may or may not be there. Nothing like chucking muscle memory out the window in the name of aesthetics :p

I have a big clunky deskphone. I have yet to make or receive a call on it. The desk real estate it occupies is a bigger cost to me than however many seconds I can eventually save.

This is about things we actually use, and their bad usability when your senses decline with age.

If you really used that clunky phone, you'd appreciate how at hand it is, and how fast it is to use compared to a cell phone, specially when you desk calls are short.

Re: Don Norman on how design fails older consumers

#138

Post by ASalazarMX »

RyJones wrote: post #9

I characterize this as "all PMs have perfect eyes and skin". The first iteration of the Microsoft Surface featured a micro SD slot that was unusable if you had anything less than perfect, pliable finger nails. I cracked a nail so many times using that slot I gave up. Current generation Apple designers clearly have amazing vision: part numbers on light grey on white in microscopic fonts.

> Current generation Apple designers clearly have amazing vision: part numbers on light grey on white in microscopic fonts.

OMG, this has to be the worse fashion decision they've made. Let's use this thin, tiny, light-grey font to write over the shiny white plastic. Fuck you Apple.

Re: Don Norman on how design fails older consumers

#139

Post by ASalazarMX »

tzs wrote: post #16
RyJones wrote: post #9

I characterize this as "all PMs have perfect eyes and skin". The first iteration of the Microsoft Surface featured a micro SD slot that was unusable if you had anything less than perfect, pliable finger nails. I cracked a nail so many times using that slot I gave up. Current generation Apple designers clearly have amazing vision: part numbers on light grey on white in microscopic fonts.

> Current generation Apple designers clearly have amazing vision: part numbers on light grey on white in microscopic fonts Tip: take a photo and view it in the photo app on your phone or desktop. It is often much easier to read then. If it is not, it can often be made so by playing with the editing options. This also often works with things like power bricks that sometimes have the specs "printed" in raised plastic w…

This is no tip, this is something I guess everyone has ended doing out of necessity. I take a picture and max the contrast and zoom, but I shouldn't need to do that just because legible print is not fashionable.

Re: Don Norman on how design fails older consumers

#140

Post by dang »

goldenkey wrote: post #63

Isn't it moreso that old people are daft and impatient? I am nearly 30 and can figure out systems, both new and old, and find that patience and faith is vitally important. I notice my parents don't even bother to explore the menus or dropdowns or well..much of anything, before they demand to be helped. It's gonna be very hard to sell me on menus being ageist. I hope you can read my frustration..

> old people are daft and impatient

Please don't post nasty generalizations about large groups of people to HN. It isn't kind, and it is flamebait. What we want on HN is exactly the opposite. Would you please review the site guidelines and take them to heart? We've had to warn you many times, and the last time we unbanned you you promised not to do this.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

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