IH01-BryanBoling

From IEOR 170 Spring 2007

Good Designs and Bad Designs in Our Everyday Lives

Often well designed devices can be very simple, and are easily overlooked throughout the course of our day. For example, Fig. 1 below shows a cheese slicer from my own kitchen, which is a very simple device I use on a regular basis. There are no moving parts to confuse the user, and its intended use is immediately obvious to most people familiar with common kitchen utensils. It’s composed of a thin wire for cutting the cheese, a couple screws to fix the wire in place, and a soft rubber handle for the user to control the device. This device is generally used by sliding the wire over a large block of cheese, which results in a thin uniform slice of cheese that can be used for your favorite sandwich. There is no confusion about how this device works, which is just a result of being well designed.

Fig. 1 Cheese Slicer

At the other end of the spectrum are the devices in our everyday lives that frustrate us at every use. For me this is typified by the controls on my shower as seen in Fig. 2. By having three separate controls for hot water, cold water, and shower/bath, getting the desired temperature and water pressure at the faucet can be a constant struggle. For instance, in order for me to take a shower I must turn the hot and cold water valves clockwise and the center valve as far counterclockwise as it will go. However, if the water is too hot the problem can’t be fixed by simply turning down the hot water valve, because there would be a drop in water pressure leaving the shower. In order to maintain water pressure while changing the water temperature both hot and cold water valves must be turned in opposite directions, and of course you must account for the short time that it takes to perceive a temperature change at the faucet. Subsequently, taking a shower in the morning can be an unpleasant experience if the user is not well accustomed to this particular shower.

Fig. 2 Shower Controls

Fig. 3 Proposed Design

In order to remedy this situation the three separate controls should be replaced by one master control as seen in my sketch in Fig. 3. Here the water pressure is maintained and changed by pulling on the dial, and the temperature can be controlled by turning the dial in either direction depending on the desired outcome. Additionally, it would be beneficial to add a temperature indicator above the dial so that the user is aware of the water temperature at the faucet before attempting to jump into the shower. With these few modifications controlling the shower temperature and pressure would be much simpler.