Who the heck came up with this interface design? I can't even find the cereal bowls!

October 22, 2008

A kitchen designer used software to help me come up with a plan for a new kitchen. I went through several iterations, put tape on the floor to see how things would look, and tried to anticipate what would be the most functional layout. Ultimately, I made the final decision on what would work best.

When I was out of town for a week (the kitchen was done), I came home and my youngest child had decided to bake some scrumpdilicious muffins for me (he had checked out a recipe book from the school library). Apparently, a trip to the store was needed to buy salt. “I couldn’t find it” he said. See, I had moved all the food, plates, etc. into the new kitchen myself being careful to put the baking stuff together. This seemed logical.

I realized that my decisions – where to put the salt and how to design the kitchen – had everything to do with interface design. Problem is, I forgot the users.

I didn’t really know care about their functional requirements. “Where is the cereal?” they said. “I assumed the cereal bowls would be with the other plates”  they said. (Basically, a decision made based on my past experience with kids jumping up on the cabinets and counter to retrieve a bowl).

I didn’t let them do much with the prototype layout and certainly didn’t do any usability testing. It would’ve been neat to walk around the proposed kitchen and ask them to pretend they were cooking (ha!) or getting cereal or whatever to see if there were any red flags. That’s borderline crazy though.

They’ve adjusted, of course – resilient bunch the Clarey clan – and I their busted chops  a bit saying I wouldn’t want any of them on a scavenger hunt team with me because if they can’t find salt, cereal, or bowls in a kitchen…. I mean really. How lazy.

So I guess what I’m saying in a roundabout way, is that when it comes to the user interface design for e-learning (just like the kitchen) people can’t stand searching for something.  They expect functionality based on their needs. They don’t want to think at all. More now than ever, they also want to change stuff around themselves. Some cereal bowls here, some there…

So really, it would’ve been better to follow the user interface design process I’m so familiar with for e-learning and apply it to the kitchen design process while keeping in mind the widget-interface we’re seeing so much. What does that look like in the kitchen? Perhaps a scalable, giant series of lazy susans where you just scan and grab what you want as things pass by?

Photo:Morton Salt

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  • http://karynromeis.blogspot.com/ Karyn Romeis

    Oh well said, that woman! An excellent object lesson in the subject that I keep banging on about. “Where are the users in all of this?” I say… until everyone starts to roll their eyes at me.

  • http://karynromeis.blogspot.com Karyn Romeis

    Oh well said, that woman! An excellent object lesson in the subject that I keep banging on about. “Where are the users in all of this?” I say… until everyone starts to roll their eyes at me.

  • http://learningvisions.blogspot.com Cammy Bean

    My ideal kitchen would include a chef.

    Cammy Beans last blog post..Guesstimating Seat Time

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com/ Janet Clarey

    When the Magic Genie shows up to grant me my wishes, I’ll make sure you get your chef.

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com Janet Clarey

    When the Magic Genie shows up to grant me my wishes, I’ll make sure you get your chef.

  • http://daveswhiteboard.com/ Dave Ferguson

    Well, no wonder things weren’t working — the salt’s not kosher.

  • http://daveswhiteboard.com Dave Ferguson

    Well, no wonder things weren’t working — the salt’s not kosher.

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com/ Janet Clarey

    quick, where’s my lame tag? : )

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com Janet Clarey

    quick, where’s my lame tag? : )

  • Fredia Dillard

    So appropo that I’m sending it to several of my “let’s do this” people who want to create a system without the users. Thanks, Janet!

  • Fredia Dillard

    So appropo that I’m sending it to several of my “let’s do this” people who want to create a system without the users. Thanks, Janet!

  • http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/ Steve Roesler

    Janet,

    That’s one heck of a good example and the kind of real-life story to which everyone can relate.

    I’m wondering, though: Would your youngest have had the same difficulty finding the chocolate chips:-)?

    Keep writing. . .

    Steve Roeslers last blog post..Why This Is An Important Moment For HR

  • http://www.allthingsworkplace.com Steve Roesler

    Janet,

    That’s one heck of a good example and the kind of real-life story to which everyone can relate.

    I’m wondering, though: Would your youngest have had the same difficulty finding the chocolate chips:-)?

    Keep writing. . .

    Steve Roeslers last blog post..Why This Is An Important Moment For HR

  • Gary Woodill

    It’s no accident that a leading book on interface design is called “Don’t Make Me Think” (by Steve Krug). There is a sample chapter at

    http://www.sensible.com/chapter.html

    The chapter starts with a children’s riddle:

    “Why are things always in the last place you look for them?”
    “Because you stop looking when you find them.”

  • Gary Woodill

    It’s no accident that a leading book on interface design is called “Don’t Make Me Think” (by Steve Krug). There is a sample chapter at

    http://www.sensible.com/chapter.html

    The chapter starts with a children’s riddle:

    “Why are things always in the last place you look for them?”
    “Because you stop looking when you find them.”

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com/ Janet Clarey

    Steve’s book was actually my textbook in an interface design class. I like the very end of the introduction where he has a picture of his wife saying, “If something is hard to use, I just don’t use it as much.”

  • http://www.brandon-hall.com Janet Clarey

    Steve’s book was actually my textbook in an interface design class. I like the very end of the introduction where he has a picture of his wife saying, “If something is hard to use, I just don’t use it as much.”

  • http://learningvisions.blogspot.com/ Cammy Bean

    My ideal kitchen would include a chef.

    Cammy Beans last blog post..Guesstimating Seat Time

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