April 22nd, 2005
Ban Floral Fusion Antiperspirant/Deodorant
It’s not good when a stick of deodorant…
…looks and smells like a can of pesticide. 
Ban Floral Fusion deodorant smells exactly like some variety of Raid pesticide that I once used in the past. Which shows that such seemingly-untestable properties such as scent comparisons should be considered during usability testing.
Note: pictures are different from the actual products, because I was having trouble finding the right ones. Again a usability issue. 
April 22nd, 2005
Stickshift with a Black Metal Ball
It seems slick-looking, but having a black metal ball at the end of a stickshift can be a usability problem:
…the stick shift had a black metal ball on the end. A black metal ball. In Mississippi. This is the car that is responsible for me wearing hats. I’d wear the hat all day and then put it on the stick so I wouldn’t burn my hand on the stick-shift in the summers.
Quoted from I Know What I Know.
April 22nd, 2005
Public Toilets
We have all grown so accustomed to public toilets (I’m referring to the western-style toilets here) that we don’t notice a major usability flaw: sitting on the toilet seat is unsanitary.
Essentially, public toilet seats are seats that you shouldn’t sit on.
In some places, mainly the west coast, toilet seat covers are available in all restrooms. However, the east coast and much of the rest of the United States ignores the usability flaw. Other countries that have western-style toilets tend to ignore the problem as well.
The usability issue here is a flaw in the fundamental design of the western toilet. Eastern-style toilets do not have this problem; you use them by standing on two bricklike blocks and squatting, and there is no seat.
However, eastern-style toilets have a large usability problem that may be even more problematic than the seat issue of western-style toilets: squatting over an eastern-style toilet is an uncomfortable, unsanitary experience because you are squatting over a large, unsanitary basin in the ground. If you fall, you are immediately vulnerable to diseases, and falling is not uncommon. Furthermore, the bricks that you have to stand on are unsanitary.
In the end, I believe that the gaping usability flaws of western-style public toilets are smaller than the usability problems of eastern-style public toilets. Toilet design is something that most designers wish to avoid, and as a result, we have to live with the usability issues that have long been ingrained in the toilet.
April 20th, 2005
Skirt with Velcro Closure
I have a skirt with a velcro closure. The velcro is in place of a zipper, and there is no button at the top of the velcro.
Unfortunately, this skirt has usability troubles. The manufacturer used a poor-quality velcro that does not have a very tight hold. Therefore, the skirt’s velcro closure opens up at the lightest sign of strain, which happens quite frequently.
I believe there are better-quality velcro strips in existence, which would have a tight enough hold to keep the skirt closed. If they had done usability testing (i.e. trying on a skirt and wearing it for a day), they might have been able to overcome this problem. Such usability tests are so simple that the skirt designer or manufacturer could have done the test on herself!
April 19th, 2005
DenTek Temparin Precision
The DenTek Temparin Precision is a penlike device for dispensing temporary filling material into teeth. You are supposed to remove the tip and then click the handle to dispense the temporary filling paste into a cavity. Then, you are supposed to replace the cap and use it to compact the paste into the cavity.
Good aspects of the design:
- The clicking handle dispenses paste with an audible and tangible click, providing excellent feedback to the user.
Usability flaws:
- The cap is difficult to replace after paste has been dispensed for the first time. Some of the paste remains in the way, so the cap can only be replaced loosely; it becomes prone to falling off.
- Using the cap to compact temporary filling paste into a cavity is practically impossible. The cap falls off into your mouth every time.
- The cap is small, unattached, and easy to swallow accidentally while trying to compact the filling material.
- Without the cap, the dispenser tip provides no real aid in dispensing the filling material. It is easier to dispense the temporary filling paste onto a finger and then push it onto a tooth, than to use the dispenser as intended.
In other words, the only good aspect of the design is the clicking handle. Most of the design features make the device difficult or impossible to use as intended. It is easier to use just the temporary filling material without the dispensing device, making this product essentially frivolous.