Here’s what I want:
Voicemail Prompt: “You have reached [Number] OR [Name]. Leave a message.”
DVD packaging: “Something that you can open without a knife and a jackhammer!”
Why do I have to listen to 30 seconds of instructions to leave a message for someone? I’m not talking about the user-defined voicemail greeting; I’m talking about the automated portion that comes before (or after or both) the user’s message. Is there anyone out there that needs detailed instructions for what to do when they hear the beep? Who designs these things?
And what is up with DVD packaging? It’s harder for me to open a DVD case than to open the packaging for my iPhone 3G. Why is that? Why are they taped on the top, side, and bottom and then wrapped in plastic? I believe someone has even come up with a tool to open these things. Profit from poor design! I love it… umm, actually I hate it. It was never this difficult to open cassette tapes.
I’m trying hard to think of examples of other poorly designed commonplace items…
Hi Russell,
Why do you have to listen for 30 seconds to leave a message for someone?
Long greetings increase the length of calls. Long calls mean more profit to the phone companies. You know the “press hash to rerecord” feature? It’s just there to keep you on the line a little longer. Depressing isn’t it - profit increases with time on the line, but from a UX perspective, annoyance increases with time on the line.
I think this logic is diminishing these days with the huge bucket plans that phone companies offer - I suspect that they make relatively little money from usage of in-plan minutes. But a few years ago, I’m certain this was the case.
Now as for DVD cases, I think they were just invented by a sadistic genuis.
The reason for DVD packaging is due to theft. The easier the package is to open the easier they are to steal. Now, granted, they probably could have come up with a way to prevent theft while still not threatening you with cuts.
And the reason for the voicemail prompt is to delightfully chew up your airtime and cost you dollars. Most times hitting a button on the keypad will take you straight to the *beep*. Thank your service provider.
These two pale in comparison to the oh so common plastic modelled plastic packaging things like USB keys come in. Those packages require a pair of scissor, some thick gloves, a pair of eye protectors and a lot of pain. Even then you’ll end up with a big gash across your face from the flying razor sharp pieces of plastic that the process of attack often produces.
I personally (cynically) think they provide them in these horrible packets because you have to destroy them completely to get the product out. This makes it pretty embarrassing to return it if you don’t like it/it doesn’t work so many people don’t bother. Seems like a monumental waste of plastic and other packaging materials, not to mention the cost in tools to get it open.
My rant? I buy an iPod accessory from a local consumer electronics store and I need to use it right away. I get to my car and realize that I can’t get the package open; it’s packaged like a DVD.
So I head to the drug store to buy some scissors. Unfortunately, the scissors are packaged with the same inpenetrable packaging.
I was just made aware that there is a name for this: “Wrap rage”. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrap_rage for an explanation.
The front page of Amazon also has a note from Jeff Bezos today (not sure how long it will be up) discussing “wrap rage”…