The following essay will review the design features and usability characteristics of a dishwasher. Despite the fact that I use the dishwasher daily, I am relatively certain I do not fully understand how to use it correctly. This is a result of poor design, in some areas, and a lack of the knowledge needed to use it more completely.
Our dishwasher, which is manufactured by Whirlpool, is black and roughly 26 inches by 32 inches, and sets into a section of the cabinetry, so that it is stowed away, and hard wired into the electric and plumbing systems. This placement, in terms of design has the benefit of taking up little space, and being aesthetically appealing, but has the disadvantage of requiring partial disassembly of our kitchen cabinets, and turning off the water the house, should the device fail and need repair or replacement.
The device is simple to use, in a basic way. You simply turn the dial to “wash” and close the door. However the discoverability and understanding of the device are low, in that there are many buttons and settings that have never been used, and which I do not understand the benefit of. According to Norman, this means that the design is lost, because it is not being adequately accessed (3). Further, this lack of discoverability and understanding leads to a significant gulf of execution. There are times when the dishes do not get as clean as I would like them to, and I am confident that if I could adjust the settings appropriately, because I understood the setting and their differing purposes, I would not require as many rewashes as I currently do.
There also seems to be a right and wrong way to load the machine. I have noted that certain sections of the racks seem shaped, or designed for specific dishes, but I do not fully understand how to use those features. I lack the procedural knowledge that is required to use it correctly. For example, there is a specialized rack in the left side of the upper rack that is for stemware, like our crystal tea glasses and wine glasses. The pictures of the dishwasher show the glasses loaded into that rack stem down, however, when loading them this way, nasty dish water gets stuck in the bowl of the glass, and it has to be rewashed by hand. While the design is intended to protect the stemware from damage in the wash cycle, the execution of the design leaves the dishes dirty, which undermines the primary purpose of the feature. Further, there are short pegs in the bottom of the washer, in the right side of the rear rack, which are designed to hold something, they are similar to the pegs intended for plates but shorter. I tend to set bowls over this area, however I am relatively certain that this is not their intended purpose.
Some of the design features are also counter intuitive. The greater the level of intuitivity that is present in an objects controls or method of use, the more likely it is discoverable and understandable. One non-intuitive feature that is specifically of issue with this dishwasher is that it was designed be left open when not in use. The power board is in the door, so leaving it open not only protects from power surges, and vampire power draw, but also allows are circulation inside the machine to prevent the wet-dog odor that dishwashers often get after a few uses. This is counter intuitive, because it is anti-aesthetic. It looks nicer to have to door closed, and takes up less space as well, so the average user would not assume that the door needed to be closed when the dishwasher is not in use.
Additionally, the product suffers from a lack of signifiers. There are no signifiers inside the rack to help clarify where specific objects should be placed. This often leads to loading the dishwasher incorrectly, including overcrowding the dishes on the rack so that they don’t ‘get as clean as they should. While the controls do have signifiers, like “Hot water” or “heavy duty” it is not clear which setting should be used in which scenario. For example, I, as a user, do not know when to use the heat boost, or the extra rinse, and when not to, and the signifiers do not afford specific action.
Perhaps one of the most interesting features in the control panel is the feedback that it provides when settings are changed. The dishwasher has a modern touch keypad, and yet when a button is pushed, it clicks just like the old dishwasher’s push buttons. This sound is feedback,, which communicates to the user that the setting has changed, or pushing the button worked. This prevents the user from pushing the button repeatedly in order to activate the device, because they are not sure that the command they were trying to communicate was effectively received.
The dishwasher has many positive qualities, it is quiet, aesthetically appealing, and energy efficient, however, there are design features and usability characteristics of the dishwasher that miss the mark. As described, even though I use the dishwasher daily, much of the finesse or function of the design is lost because I have not discovered the best way to use the settings and features included in the design. The design could be improved through increased intuitivity and through improved signifiers and instructional elements in order to create a design that allowed users to take full advantage of the intention of the design.
Works Cited:
Norman, Donald A. The Design of Everyday Things. New York: Basic, 2013. Print.
