Difficulties in Usage of a Coffeemaker Predicted on the Basis of Design Models

Abstract

An explorative empirical study was conducted on the possibilities and limitations of anticipating future usage of a consumer product. An existing product (a programmable coffeemaker) was chosen, and two design models were constructed. Practitioners in the field of ergonomics and design predicted operational difficulties by inspecting the design models, and by viewing video-tapes of users' trials carried out with the respective design models. The predictions were compared with actual operational difficulties, observed in usage of the real product. This paper discusses the predictions made for a selection of twenty events observed in usage of the real product. Reasons for not having predicted certain difficulties were investigated. Only in some cases characteristics of the design models appear to play a role in not being able to predict operational difficulties. Some events are not mentioned in the predictions, because the practitioners did not consider these events operational difficulties. Other difficulties were simply overlooked. In the paper recommendations are given on how to improve predictions of operational difficulties during design processes.

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