Material World
At lunch today while attempting to enjoy the nice weather and dine al fresco at an establishment (that shall remain nameless) I was nearly blinded by the sun. No, I was not staring at the sun, I was blinded by it reflecting off of the uber-shiny faux-marble table – sans umbrella.
How easy it is for we designers to forget how materials can affect usability. The rubber grip on my toothbrush is a great idea – one from IDEO I believe – and it is so useful that I don’t even think twice that it is helping me. The table at lunch today was so un-useful that I couldn’t believe no one had thought about what a giant mirror it would become in the sun.
I don’t blame the person who designed the table since they may have designed it for interior use, or low-light use, or what have you. I blame the person who chose the tables and placed them outside, and I would wager that this person holds the title of designer of one sort or another.
Shiny isn’t always best for practical use. Just ask people who own black 1st gen iPod Nanos, and people who were blinded by faux-marble tables. Maybe next time I’ll just shell out the money for a restaurant that uses simple user-experience improving table cloths.