Design Diary
Kenmore Wall-Mounted A/C Unit
An A/C Unit: Nothing More, Nothing Less
The Technology: This Kenmore wall-mounted A/C unit is installed on a wall and intended to cool the room of a building. It also has a fan function and an energy saving function, and it comes with a remote control that can change settings from across the room.
Soft curves are more desirable than sharp edges. This design is also preferable because it is fairly simple and uncluttered.
The codes next to the digital display use known words such as "medium" to explain the fan settings such as "F2" to the user.
Soft curves are more desirable than sharp edges. This design is also preferable because it is fairly simple and uncluttered.
Evaluation: This technology is visually appealing for its time. First, it makes use of contour bias, using soft curves rather than sharp edges to appeal to users. The design is also pleasingly simple. The technology is an example of Ockham’s razor, which is the principle that simple designs are preferred. Thus, the simple design of the A/C unit is more pleasing to users. Additionally, because of the unit’s aesthetic appeal, the aesthetic-usability effect also applies to it- because it is aesthetic, it may also be seen as easier to use. The system also gives auditory feedback in the form of a beep when any button is pressed. And because the settings available to the user are relatively few, it follows that it does not take users as much time or effort to make a decision about a setting, in keeping with Hick’s Law. Finally, a holder for the remote control is attached to the side of the unit in order to prevent the remote from being lost or misplaced. This is an example of safety.
However, it is not apparent how to use the timer function of the unit simply by looking at the available controls, which contradicts Norman’s fundamental argument that users should be able to tell how to use something by looking at it. Also, the unit uses the Rosetta Stone principle to let the user know what the codes for the fan setting mean- the fan setting codes and their corresponding fan level are written next to the digital display. However, it is poor design that the unit uses codes for such a simple concept in the first place.
Improvements: In order to give users clearer feedback, perhaps the sound that they hear when a button is pressed should change slightly depending on which button is pressed or which setting is being adjusted. Additionally, settings such as the timer should be simplified so that a user can understand how to operate them simply by looking at them. The fan codes should be eliminated, and the digital display should be updated if the display precludes showing the actual fan setting- for example, “low.”
Should people use it? If this A/C unit is already installed on your wall, then you’re in luck. The simple design makes commands easier to carry out and avoids a cluttered interface or feature creep. While the appearance is less than modern, the aesthetics are fairly strong, and there are few problems with the design.