It is more important to sell an item, than design an item for ease of use.
I find that appliances which can not be thoroughly “test driven” tend to have the most byzantine control systems, designed to provide a checklist of “features” and “one-touch controls”, not to provide ease of use on an ongoing basis.
When was the last time the store let you heat up a bag of popcorn in a microwave in the store? No, instead, they have a “popcorn” button, which runs at full power for a time approximately equal to the time recommended on the popcorn bag’s packaging. Still burns it half the time and leaves half the kernels unpopped the other half if you don’t follow the bag instructions (listen until the pops come 1-2 seconds apart and stop the microwave).
At our office we have two different microwaves with completely different control systems. Both have “one-touch” buttons for 1-6 minute intervals. Anything which doesn’t ask for one of those six settings requires examining the control pad and five or ten seconds of experimentation.
Personally, the only “convenience” feature worth the complexity is the addition of the “Add 0:30” (or “Add Minute”) button. Other than that, give me a simple keypad where I enter the time needed, optionally modify the power (it should allow me to specify the time and power in either order) then hit “start”.
Even better: a logarithmic-scale dial (equal intervals for 5 seconds, 15 seconds, 30, 45, 60, 90, 2-10 minutes on each minute, 12, 15, then 20) for time and a dial for power, plus a single “start” button. Adding thirty seconds would be accomplished by turning the dial clockwise 30 seconds further. That’s it.
But, instead, I get a control pad that tries to outthink me, and assumes I’m entering some multi-step program of consecutive cooking steps if I tell it the power level before the time (or vice versa, on the other microwave). It is an absolute usability mess.
Yep - simplicity was my consideration when I bought a new microwave. Just 2 controls - power and time - what else do you need?
Personally I only use the [+] and [-] buttons, just close the door then press + until the minutes I want is displayed (it already started).
At rare occassions I also use the effect level button. I have a whirlpool by the way 
http://www.whirlpool.se/app.cnt/whr/sv_SE/pageid/pgproddtl001/catid/1/subcatid/5/prodid/20790
Simple and elegant layout.
Alarm clocks are even worse. I would KILL to be able to get an alarm clock that I did not have to read a manual to set. They get worse when they are clock radios. Why must we have digital controls on analog radios – even worse - digital controls tied to analog controls
Hi Jeff ( co.)
Have we talked about these things yet? From a UI perspective, why the following:
- Why do microwaves need to have a built in clock?*
- Why do the buttons have to beep?**
- Is the smallest possible number of keys for a non-knob microwave 11?
(0-9, plus start?)
Guesses:
- The microwave is the primary kitchen clock for most people? (If so, then why no battery backup?)
- Switches behind membranes have such poor tactile feedback that beeps are considered necessary.
- Would most people revolt if they couldn’t reduce the power, and would that mean adding 1 switch, or four?
*pet peeve
**bigger pet peeve. When nuking hot water at 4am, I really don’t want to be any more awake than I absolutely have to be.
I couldn’t agree more with you, Jeff.
And for those of you who thinks the buttons are there because “The ‘high-tech’ microwave interface is designed to diffuse the ‘gunk’ delivered by mucky hands (think hygiene). Check out the single dial interface - it’s filthy.”
I have one word for you: Click-Wheel.
The worst part of it is that these controls are supposed to emsimplify/em your life and emhelp/em you figure out how much time to cook your meal…
It’s like we’re trying to outsource every thing we used to do into machines.
I completely agree. That’s why I bought this microwave.
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SPECPAGESKU=JES1384SFSITEID=GEA
It’s still digital controls, but there is a big knob to set the time.
Hey Jeff,
here is how you can optimize Microwave controls on the fly. Popcorn button is good enough for most warming ups, unless you have a hefty bowl of soup which require double popcorn time.
Popcorn. Start. Done.
Don’t press Poultry ever. It activates the Megatron which kills all Bluetooth in its path.
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Brownouts? In my kitchen? Unpossible!
But the primary clock thing - yeah. We have a regular analog one, but the microwave one is at eye-height. -
Membranes are easier to clean. A solution would be industrial style “safety” buttons with a rubber cap, but those are incredibly ugly and they still have edges, and edges means places for grease to stack up.
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I just had a revelation: use the iPod wheel! Dial to choose the time - it “naturally” works because the arms of a clock do the same, using the ticks as feedback for the seconds, then hit the middle button to nuke. Add a few preset buttons for the power.
Thanks for the feedback.
Rob Janssen, the clickwheel thing (or the 2nd gen swirly thing) would be really darn cool.
AndyB, re #2, I’d love deep, clicky tactile feedback behind that membrane instead of beeping.
Midori:
-
Why do microwaves need to have a built in clock?
Because a clock is essential in a kitchen, and one on your oven is the ideal place to put it. If you’re cooking several things, you need to have them ready at the same time, a clock allows you to figure out when to start cooking the next thing. -
Why do the buttons have to beep?**
Feedback is essential. They don’t have to beep, they can provide a nice clicky response to your touch. You wouldn’t be happy digging your thumb at a lump of plastic and having to look at whether you were pressing the button or pressing the plastic between them. -
Is the smallest possible number of keys for a non-knob microwave 11?
nope, its 1. The cook-for-30-seconds button, press repeatedly to set longer times.
As people have said, the UI of the dial is poor - you cannot control it to a required degree of accuracy, it gets dirty and is difficult to clean. The digital one allows you to enter a time and wipe it clean.
Incidentally, I have used one of those all-in-one buttons on my microwave, the baked potato one (my m,w is a oven and a microwave in one). This sets the cooking temps correctly, I just have to enter the time to cook with those settings without having to remember whether its @450W and 220C, or 750W and 180C.
Hey Jeff, that’s our microwave on the left! Obviously. If you can find a really simple one like that one on the right, let’s get it for the cafe.
I’m actually fairly happy with my latest microwave, and it has a neat feature I’d never thought of before getting it. It has the “add 30” button, which I use most often, but the really neat feature is that, with no time entered, if you press and hold the start button, it runs and the timer counts up the seconds you’ve run for. This is awesome for something where you just want to heat it for a couple more seconds.
Spot on. I never manage to operate new microwave properly on first try.
TIME? POWER? START? DEFROST?
time to put IBM-style keyboard on the microwave instead of this cheap sensor crap. How about voice recognition? “Chicken!” “Popcorn”
“Boil” “Stop”
Based on # of responses, you hit a nerve. And, with me. When we bought our Honda van in 2000, I was stunned that the heater/AC control was on a touchscreen. And, you initiate the touchscreen by reaching across to press a button found in a vertical row of four, as far a reach as almost anything on the dashboard. So, everything about the process requires taking your eyes off the road. It’s one thing to control a microwave standing in the kitchen, but how about controlling the heat on a snowy day tooling down the highway in Chicago. You just don’t.
Can you make a phone call with the left oven? The numpad resembles a phone so much i’d like to try to call my house.
Maybe this can actually become practical. You could order some foods and it would be delivered warm in your microwave oven.
Count me in the 1-6 minutes plus add 30 seconds camp. That’s what I use 99% of the time.
Soup? Press 2, stir, press 1.
Pretzels? Press 1.
Hot Pockets? Press 3, then add 30 seconds.
Almost anything else? Press add 30 seconds twice for each minute.
I never use the popcorn/poultry/reheat/defrost buttons. When I make popcorn in the microwave, I always use my ears to tell me when to stop. The one ‘advanced feature’ I consistently use is the timer function. (And when I try to enter a cooking time manually, I usually end up setting the clock.)
If you’re there to listen, it’s easy to hit exactly the right amount of time: if you need to cook something for 20 seconds, use the add 30 seconds button and press stop when the timer reads 10 seconds…