Here’s a follow up on my post about the annoying puddle receptical every mug has that fills with water and spills on the floor when you remove it from the dishwasher.
I got some really good answers from some bright people about why cup have that indent.
Recent I came across this picture from the 2007 Ikea catalog (p.14) that shows a brilliant, non-technical solution to the problem that does not impact the indent’s functional purpose. One simple little cut in the bottom rim allows the water to drain out of the indent. Poof. Problem solved.
Then something ocurred to me. Perhaps knowing the reasons why something sucks can prevent you from exploring how to make it better. Indeed after Victor explained the history of the indent, I just accepted it and resigned myself to the fact that I’d forever splash water all over the floor every time I emptied the dishwasher. Instead I should have thought “how can I make this better”. Ikea did.
Very nice… and it asks a very important question that we often don’t consider in the status quo – “How can I make it better, while keeping the constraints that require the factor that causes the problem”
I’ve noticed this is a big problem in studying nurses. They are so overwhelmed with so many devices they quickly develop the ability to work around or through the problems inherent in these devices. Soon they’re no longer consciously aware of the problems, yet they still lives with the consequences.
So when marketing shows up to conduct a focus group (becuase that’s typically marketing’s only form of user study) nurses simply do not and cannot articulate these problems. Marketing then thinks everything is great, yet the reality for clinicians is often the exact opposite.