Assignment 0: Bad Design

Examples of bad designs can be found around my house, from a shoe cupboard that needs to be opened with both hands to kitchen appliances whose knobs and switches are a struggle to operate. However, I shall focus on one of my most frequently used objects, which is none other than my HP computer LCD monitor. I bought it two years ago with a CPU, which I have since changed.

The above HP LCD screen looks viscerally appealing with its sleek silver design and built-in speakers. However, there is a basic problem with it regarding its functionality - its less than intuitive to use, especially regarding the adjustment of brightness of the screen. Brightness adjustment is important to me and my parents who use the monitor, especially when we want to see details of photos and videos more clearly by turning the brightness up, but turning it back down after viewing so that the brightness will not spoil our eyesight.

Now, to adjust the brightness, volume, contrast and other miscellaneous options, the user needs to press these buttons located at the bottom right edge of the screen and press the menu button to access options, such as to adjust the brightness. However, it seems that HP prioritizes volume over brightness as the user merely needs to press the + and - buttons with the speaker symbol next to them to adjust the volume, whereas adjusting the brightness is much more troublesome - the user needs to press the menu button twice to access the brightness adjustment screen, then press the same + and - buttons to adjust, following which he needs to press the menu button twice again to exit. So much trouble - just to adjust something as fundamental as brightness. Furthermore, the location of the buttons out of the user's line of sight when using the computer requires him to stick his head towards the side of the screen to see the buttons clearly (unless he has their locations memorized, in which case he can use his sense of touch to feel the buttons).

User's Reaction

My mum, who frequently uses the computer to view photos, always had difficulty locating the buttons as their placement and functions are anything but intuitive. Hence, when she needs to adjust the brightness of the screen, she almost always needs my help to do so.

Reflection on Design

Sometimes, brand is not everything and does not guarantee a good design. My HP monitor is one such example of how a good brand may still not cater sufficiently to the consumer's needs for convenience and intuitive functionality, which I feel is more important than the need to "hide" the buttons at the side so as not to "spoil" the sleek-looking appearance of the monitor.

To this end, I suggest that the buttons should be placed in the front rather than the side, like many of my previous (non-LCD) computer monitors which I have used before. These monitors basically have two buttons for adjusting brightness, two for volume and maybe two more for contrast. In this way, adjusting brightness and contrast can be done much faster, without having to go through a "menu". Perhaps HP can add an additional button for the "advanced menu" (as shown in the menu screen above) to provide more advanced options for the more discerning user. If appearance is so important, HP can introduce a easily opened and closed panel to hide these buttons, although I think that functionality is of greater concern than appearance in this case.