Very little annoys me more than when poor design negatively impacts me. When I stand in a long line at a store because only one or two people are trained to run the register that is poor process design. When I hit five straight red lights that is poor transportation system design. When I set off my car alarm and cannot figure out how to turn it off that is poor product design.
As a few of you are aware, I experienced the last of these design problems at the drive-in on Friday. After the movie was over (thank goodness) I was carrying a few things to the trunk. It was dark and so I guessed on which button on the car key ring opened the trunk. I guessed poorly.
At that moment, I heard that wonderful sound as everyone I could see (and I am sure many more I couldn't) turned to stare at me.
"HONK, HONK, HONK, HONK, HONK..."
My heart sank as I remembered that I had not seen any specific button on the key ring that was obviously designed to turn off the alarm. After frantically hitting every button what seemed like a hundred times, the alarm finally turned off. To this day I don't know what I pushed to turn it off.
What annoys me is that I don't know how to figure out which button it is. I generally learn this sort of thing by trial and error, but I am not willing to set off the alarm to try to figure it out for fear that I won't figure it out.
Truth be told, I don't even care to have an alarm on my car. No one ever assumes that when a car alarm goes off that a car is actually being stolen, so I don't feel that what security is provided is even worth the stress of false alarms.
If I must have an alarm, it would be a lot easier if there was a button on the key ring that had a picture of a horn crossed out. That would be good design.
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4 comments:
The same button that turned on the alarm should turn it off. But I had to learn that the hard way too! When I first got my car, I went inside my apartment, only to keep hearing this car alarm going off. I was annoyed and went outside to give a "look" to whoever it was, only to discover it was MY car! Somehow I pushed the alarm button when I was unlocking the door to my apartment!! :-$
Sometimes you can lock your spouse in the vehicle and if they try to get out: HONK HONK HoNK - and that is always fun to observe from a distance...
LOL I like the spouse idea. Although, I don't dash would have the same reaction of humor as I do picturing him in there with the alarm going off!
As for the buttons, should I do the obvious "help desk" humor and ask if you have read the manual?
BTW, my key ring has "PANIC" written no it, so I didn't have to go through that, but I did think when I first got it that I had to start the van instead of just hitting the button again. For some reason I think I thought that hitting it again would extend the "panic" instead. But nope, I felt like a dope when I realized I just had to hit the button again! :$
I think every instance of the alarm going off on the acura was a case of a spouse being locked in with the windows down. It's not as funny when you have no controls and you're sitting in a honking car! I always turn red!
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