Meryl's Notes Blog

Usability isn’t just about making Web sites easier to use. It’s also about making appliances and other day-to-day activities easier. When I use my blender, I can understand for the life of me why there are lables for puree, chop, frappe, crush, and so on. It’s a blender! The blades just spin around and around.

Applying Simplicity in Design offers insights from Designer Burkey Belser, the creator of the nutrition labels found on food packaging.

Last weekend, I watched a DVD movie. It had to be the most unusable DVD I’ve seen to date. There were two buttons on the lower corners. They were illegible. The font was so small and no one could read it.

I’m a techie and love everything electronic. But Belser is right — it’s possible to overdo this stuff like the blender. I probably have about five buttons on my microwave that I’ve yet to touch — they’re the cleanest ones.