Comments on: Bad user interface design: hotel showers http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/08/07/bad-user-interface-design-hotel-showers/ The blog of John D. Cook Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:45:27 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Thomas Guest http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/08/07/bad-user-interface-design-hotel-showers/comment-page-1/#comment-3772 Thomas Guest Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:10:00 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/08/07/bad-user-interface-design-hotel-showers/#comment-3772 Funny you should mention this -- I've just returned from a camping holiday where the showers had a single button operation. You push the button to get a hot shower lasting arond half a minute. (If you've ever been in the sea in Cornwall, you'll know that a hot shower is always what's wanted.) For an extended shower, push the button again, or hold it down. Funny you should mention this — I’ve just returned from a camping holiday where the showers had a single button operation. You push the button to get a hot shower lasting arond half a minute. (If you’ve ever been in the sea in Cornwall, you’ll know that a hot shower is always what’s wanted.) For an extended shower, push the button again, or hold it down.

]]> By: Karl Ove Hufthammer http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/08/07/bad-user-interface-design-hotel-showers/comment-page-1/#comment-3771 Karl Ove Hufthammer Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:00:54 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/08/07/bad-user-interface-design-hotel-showers/#comment-3771 Well, I have the same feelings about your US-style knobs. Why do I have to manually mix hot and cold water? (The same is true for faucets, by the way.) One knob for hot/cold and one for water pressure is much better design, IMHO. Actually, I prefer the handle variant, where you turn the handle to change the temperature and push/pull it to change the water pressure (from off to full pressure). But I wonder why knobs are used at all. One is never sure which way to turn it, and the labeling is often confusing (especially if the labeling is on the knob instead of surrounding the knob). Surely a clearly marked horizontal slider would be better. Well, I have the same feelings about your US-style knobs. Why do I have to manually mix hot and cold water? (The same is true for faucets, by the way.)

One knob for hot/cold and one for water pressure is much better design, IMHO. Actually, I prefer the handle variant, where you turn the handle to change the temperature and push/pull it to change the water pressure (from off to full pressure).

But I wonder why knobs are used at all. One is never sure which way to turn it, and the labeling is often confusing (especially if the labeling is on the knob instead of surrounding the knob). Surely a clearly marked horizontal slider would be better.

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