Notes on Bad Product Design

Having lived for 50 years on this earth, I've had many experiences with products that are fraught with design flaws. I'm an engineer, so perhaps bad product design sticks out like a sore thumb for me.

Many design flaws have the effect of making ordinary product maintenance a real pain in the neck. Many design flaws cause pain a little lower down the spine...

The cure for most flaws in design is prevention. And to prevent design flaws from making it to the marketplace, you need to actually test what you build. Yes, test it. Yes, even you, the best engineer in the world, are, in fact, human. And humans make mistakes. Even you. Yes, I'm talking to YOU!

And when I say test it, I mean really test it. Pretend you are the customer, the person who bought this product. Pretend you are the customer by actually using your product in the way it is intended to be used. Why is it so hard for you to figure out that you need to do this before marketing a product? Do you have any common sense at all? Hello??

For example, if the entire working order of a $200 carpet shampooing machine depends on the exact placement and structural integrity of a very small, hard to remove, $1.39 plastic part, would you say this is good product design? Uh, nope.

For another example, if the complete model number of a major kitchen appliance is unreadable unless you are able to hold a magnifying glass and flashlight while standing on your head, would you say this is good product design? Uh, nope.

For still another example, if, in order to add memory to a PC, one needs to pry off the side of the case using a tire iron, because the PC case was not designed to ever be opened, and once you get inside you find that even with your small, feminine hands you are unable to reach the memory module area, would you say this is good product design? Uh, nope.

And don't get me started on serial numbers that are imprinted black on black or white on white so that registering for product service requires part luck, part guesswork, and Superman vision or very sensitive fingertips.

[Long diatribe about software defects is left as an imagination exercise for the reader.]

We can prevent bad product design, if we make a conscious effort to put ourselves in the place of the guy who is going to use it. For products already in the marketplace, however, it's too late for prevention. What is needed is punishment for the designer, witnessed by the customers who seek vengence.

No, I'm not talking about waterboarding. That's torture. Yes, it is. Don't argue with me!

Anyway, where was I ? Oh yea, what I envision for payback for bad product design is to require the designer(s) to sit in a room with their product, and be forced to use it. For about 8 hours. Or more, depending on the gravity of the design flaws and the number of individuals who have been harmed emotionally while using the product.

Summary: Test what you build! Or else!

Cancer of the Ovaries and Uterus

Did you know that more women die of ovarian cancer than from any other reproductive cancer?

Did you know that cancer of the uterus is the most common women's reproductive cancer?

Did you know that there is no medical test to detect either of these cancers?

In ovarian cancer, many women have no symptoms. Sometimes it is hard to tell that symptoms are related to the ovaries. For cancer of the uterus, symptoms may be a little more pronounced.

Symptoms of either of these cancers can be similar to those of intestinal distress like indigestion and gas. And we all have these symptoms every now and then. The only difference would be the chronic nature of the distress. But even that may not be a reliable indicator of anything.

Why don't we have a test yet that will help in early detection of cancer of the ovaries or of the uterus? We need to find out more about the causes of these cancers, and learn what we can do to prevent them, or at least detect them early enough to save the lives of the women who have them.

Faith in Humanity

I think we are, for the most part, good people. I think most of us try to
do the right thing. Sometimes we make bad choices, that's all. The key is
to face yourself, admit mistakes, apologize to those you have hurt, and
move forward.

I have days now and then where the people I interact with seem selfish
and very self-absorbed. But then something will happen to turn me
around 180 degrees -- someone will do something nice for someone
else, without expecting anything in return. And that kind of thing restores
my faith in humanity.

The first time this happened to me was when the person in the car in front
of me paid my toll on the Benicia bridge. It was wild and crazy! And so I
paid the toll of a guy behind me a couple of weeks later. It felt good.

Another time, I was standing in line at the grocery store, with only a couple
of items, when the person in front of me, who had a whole basket of stuff
asked me if I wanted to go in front of her. Such a simple nice thing to do,
but it made a big impression on me. It was a gift. I try to do the same to
others, when I remember to stop, think, and look around me.

When my seemingly selfless acts seem selfish to me (because I
enjoy doing them), I smile and thank God for free will.

House bill: Nondescrimination in the workplace

So, why do so many Republican lawmakers have the mistaken assumption that homosexuality and faith in God are mutually exclusive? They are not mutually exclusive. If I were a gay person in your workplace, and you had a bible in your cube, I would not feel myself repressed or discriminated against. That would be ludicrous. It would be ludicrous because God loves everybody, even gay people. Don't Republicans know that?