Appliance Design - November 2008 - (Page 4)

EDItorIal ® www.applianceDESIGN.com D Vote for Usability Another important aspect of usability revolves around its impact on social participation, that is, making technology accessible to all segments of the population. There are many people who struggle with high-technology products due to inherent aptitude, education level, cultural background, age, socioeconomic status, and so on. By not taking their needs into account, we run the risk of excluding them from the benefits of technology, transforming them into the equivalent of ghosts — beings who inhabit the technological world, but are unable to interact with it. And, in a world where virtually every occupation involves some interaction with technology, such exclusionary design can impact a person’s ability to earn a living. Whether operating a commercial appliance, an office machine, a piece of industrial equipment, or simply a point-of-sale terminal, people must often master a complex device to master their job. All of that seems to restate the obvious, yet in spite of the frequent lip service to human factors, there are still far too many devices that are still far too difficult to operate. Why? Often, human factors conflict with cost targets or aesthetics. Sometimes, designers’ intimate familiarity with their products blinds them to usability issues. And at other times, the culprit is simply haste — getting the thing out the door in time for the next trade show. But none of those are good excuses. The issue is too important to ignore. And that’s why human factors is one of the four criteria used to judge products entered in our annual Excellence in Design competition, which is open now. Good design is about making things that work right, which in turn, helps the world work right. And we’re looking to recognize some excellent examples. To enter this round of Excellence in Design, visit www.appliancedesign.com/EID. < publishing staff Fern Sheinman Publisher richard J. Babyak Editor larry adams Managing Editor Daryl Delano Economics Editor E’lisa Campbell Production Manager Matt Britcher Art Director (619) 233-4585 sheinmanf@bnpmedia.com (440) 886-1210 babyakr@bnpmedia.com (773) 467-8590 adamsl@bnpmedia.com (508) 746-7986 dhdelano@comcast.net (248) 244-6257 campbelle@bnpmedia.com (248) 486-7800 britcherm@bnpmedia.com epending on when you’re reading this, you may or may not have had the opportunity to see the Nov. 2 episode of The Simpsons in which a touchscreen voting machine switches Homer’s vote, then tries to kill him when he realizes the thing is rigged. “This doesn’t happen in America!” Homer screams. “Maybe Ohio, but not in America!” It is rather ironic to see e-voting machines portrayed so diabolically, given that they were originally heralded as the cavalry coming to rescue the integrity of voting. It is eight years now since the election brouhaha in Florida created a mini-crisis in American democracy, spawning arguments over punch card ballots and ballot design. Electronic voting machines were presented as a panacea and many state and local governments rushed to obtain them, without anybody doing any due diligence on how they should be designed, and without any body establishing standards for how they should operate. Subsequent concerns about touchscreen usability, lost votes, and potential security breaches motivated many of these same agencies to dump the technology they had spent millions to obtain and switch to optically scanned ballots. It’s kind of like a long, slow train wreck, with cars still coming off the track years later. Underlying the derailment is the issue of human factors in design, which basically is just about having something do that which you intend it to do. Some claim that poor attention to human factors in voting machines changed the course of American history, and subsequently, world history. Whether one accepts that view or not, no one can dispute that there are many areas where the regard for human factors is a grave matter. From the controls of a commuter aircraft, to a soldier’s portable target designator, to a hospital’s radiation therapy device, people’s lives are on the line, affected every day by the role of human factors in design. And lest we forget, as you read this, somewhere deep underground are people facing a control panel that can launch nuclear weapons. Let’s hope some usability consultants were called in for that. circulation Christine a. Baloga (248) 244-8262 Corporate Audience Development Director balogac@bnpmedia.com amy Schuler (920) 231-4932 Group Audience schulera@bnpmedia.com Development Manager alison Illes (248) 244-1730 Corporate Fulfillment Manager Illesa@bnpmedia.com Catherine M. ronan (248) 244-8259 Corporate Audience ronanc@bnpmedia.com Audit Manager robert liska 800-223-2194 List Manager robert.liska@edithroman.com marketing lynn Davidson Marketing Director Paul Dykstra Trade Show Coordinator (248) 244-6417 davidsonl@bnpmedia.com (248) 786-1609 dykstrap@bnpmedia.com editorial advisory board Mark Skaer, Senior Editor, The News Susan Sutton, Editor, Ceramic Industry roy Sakelson, Editor-in-Chief, Circuitree tom Williams, Publisher/Editor, Quality Magazine Darlene Brezinski, Ph.D., Editor, Paint and Coatings Industry Don Hegland, Editor, Assembly BNP Media Helps People Succeed in Business with Superior Information BNP Media 2401 West Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084, (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317; www.bnpmedia.com For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: call (847) 763-9534 • Fax: (847) 763-9538 or email: AD@halldata.com APPLIANCE DESIGN (ISSN 1552-5937) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media, 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $140.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $175.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $190.00 (int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2008, by BNP Media. GST account: 131263923. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Send returns (Canada) to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. For single copies or back issues, contact Ann Kalb at (248) 2446499 or KalbA@bnpmedia.com. Richard Babyak, Editor E-mail: babyakr@bnpmedia.com | HVAC | Majors | Water Processing | Housewares | Commercial Appliances | | Vending | Medical | Lab | Test & Measurement | Lawn & Garden | Electronics | | Computers | Communications | Business Equipment | 4 applianceDESIGN November 2008 www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com http://www.appliancedesign.com/EID http://www.bnpmedia.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

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Appliance Design - November 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch Metals & Metal Parts Gas Technology Displays Quality & Standards New Products Design Marts Association Report: AHAM Advertiser's Index

Appliance Design - November 2008

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