5 ms·

Please Pull The Pin

14 points by there 17y ago

joshu 17y ago
really? they can't figure out any way to get people to remove the item reliably?
- jrockway 17y ago
  I have visited a number of homes in Japan where the peel-off plastic to protect displays from shipping is still installed. It even says, in Japanese, "REMOVE". The consensus seems to be that it won't be eligible for warranty repair if you remove that. (I doubt the truth of this statement.) So anyway, people are weird. That's why they don't remove pins from monitors, or film on displays to protect them during packing and shipping.
  - awa 17y ago
    The idea behind is to protect the screens from dust and other issues... many people buy a screen protector for iPhone, can't these guys keep the one which came with the display for free.
    - jrockway 17y ago
      I was thinking the same thing. Instead of shipping a disposable one, just pay the $0.000001 more for a "permanent" one. And btw, by LCD I mean things like LCD clocks, the display of a stereo, etc. Things like phones are totally different.
- josefresco 17y ago
  After reading about the problem, and the quite obvious proposed solutions I came to the same conclusion as you (really?). Sometimes engineers try to out-think problems that can easily be solved by putting a big giant sign/sticker/label on it and calling it a day (beer anyone?).
  - HeyLaughingBoy 17y ago
    In some industries this is unacceptable. e.g., the US FDA considers solving a problem by labeling to be an absolute last resort. Even then, cultural differences can mean that different groups will respond in various ways to a label. So now you have to make a number of different labels for your overseas markets, and add in the logistics problems of making sure that the "wrong" label doesn't go to the wrong people. Often, it's simpler to just design the product to avoid the problem in the first place!
    - jrockway 17y ago
      It's a frickin' LCD display. Anyone using a computer knows how to read, so they will be able to read the label. Not reading the label won't lead to harm, so there is no need to figure out how to make it obvious to the illiterate and the lazy.
      - HeyLaughingBoy 17y ago
        Spoken like an engineer...
chaosmachine 17y ago
Make it significantly longer and bright orange. Print the word "REMOVE" in large black letters on it. If that doesn't work, put a static-sticker right on the screen that says "REMOVE ORANGE TAG ON BACK BEFORE USING" with a little diagram. Can I get a job as a Lonovo designer now? :)
- houseabsolute 17y ago
  Ah, the scorched earth tactic.
  - jrockway 17y ago
    Not really. It's just an effective way to bring people's attention to something that they need to do, but might not know that they need to do. Yeah, a base that doesn't need the pin might solve the problem... but do you want to pay $10 extra per monitor because an orange pin is inelegant? I don't.
    - houseabsolute 17y ago
      I wasn't disparaging it, I'm just pointing out that it's the bluntest possible instrument. And sometimes that's what you need to get the job done.
- blasdel 17y ago
  Then that text has to be localized. The real trick would be to have a very long piece of wide bright orange polypropylene ribbon attached to the pull-ring on the pin. Long enough that you'd want instinctively to pull it out so that it won't be in your way, long enough that you can't just tuck it in anywhere and pretend that it's supposed to be there. Just out-ugly the idiots.
  - awa 17y ago
    I would imagine they would be localizing the manuals a bit (OSD usually are not that simple), adding one more line there shouldn't hurt.
ojbyrne 17y ago
Minor related complaint. Make it so the pin, when detached, is still tethered to the monitor base. I have a monitor with this feature, and I've moved twice since I got it (and removed, then lost the pin). The first time the box had an unnatural bulge. The second time I just said screw it, and wrapped the monitor in a blanket.
jrockway 17y ago
I got a Samsung monitor at work the other day. It had this pin, which is not something I was aware of before (my Dell 24" monitor didn't have one). Anyway, it had a big huge sticky-tape note on it, and one on the front asking you to remove it before use. It was so effective that I didn't even think about it.
bmelton 17y ago
I can't claim credit for the idea, but I think that the 'paper tag' (like you might find on clothing in a store) with the appropriate instruction. It's cheap, it will annoy people until they remove it, and it's fairly obviously a sign that it needs removing.
jsz0 17y ago
Other brands of monitors I've used (Samsung, Dell) simply have an adjustment system that doesn't require a locking pin. The best solution is probably to just move away from that design which might be mechanically valid but doesn't seem to be obvious to the consumer. Other companies ship the base not attached to the display which requires more user setup but is also more obvious. I can't really think of any plus sides to using the pin at all. Ignoring that and looking at the problem objectively I'd guess most people don't need a manual or even a "quick start" guide to connect a monitor and completely ignore it. Just put a big 8x11 sized sheet of paper over the front of the display that simply says "READ FIRST: REMOVE BLUE PIN" so it's impossible to ignore. Even if you quickly glance at it while ripping into the packaging you have time to process the information without the added clutter of teaching people how to plugin a power cable or press the ON button.
mixmax 17y ago
Attach the pin to the package with a piece of wire or thread. When the happy customer pulls out his new monitor the pin will automatically fall out. Easy.
- mhb 17y ago
  That doesn't address the surprising and undesirable "sproing" the customer will experience.
rriepe 17y ago
Attach a coupon to the pin that they can apply to future purchases.

Please Pull The Pin

14 points by there 17y ago

joshu 17y ago

really? they can't figure out any way to get people to remove the item reliably?

jrockway 17y ago
I have visited a number of homes in Japan where the peel-off plastic to protect displays from shipping is still installed. It even says, in Japanese, "REMOVE". The consensus seems to be that it won't be eligible for warranty repair if you remove that. (I doubt the truth of this statement.) So anyway, people are weird. That's why they don't remove pins from monitors, or film on displays to protect them during packing and shipping.
- awa 17y ago
  The idea behind is to protect the screens from dust and other issues... many people buy a screen protector for iPhone, can't these guys keep the one which came with the display for free.
  - jrockway 17y ago
    I was thinking the same thing. Instead of shipping a disposable one, just pay the $0.000001 more for a "permanent" one. And btw, by LCD I mean things like LCD clocks, the display of a stereo, etc. Things like phones are totally different.
josefresco 17y ago
After reading about the problem, and the quite obvious proposed solutions I came to the same conclusion as you (really?). Sometimes engineers try to out-think problems that can easily be solved by putting a big giant sign/sticker/label on it and calling it a day (beer anyone?).
- HeyLaughingBoy 17y ago
  In some industries this is unacceptable. e.g., the US FDA considers solving a problem by labeling to be an absolute last resort. Even then, cultural differences can mean that different groups will respond in various ways to a label. So now you have to make a number of different labels for your overseas markets, and add in the logistics problems of making sure that the "wrong" label doesn't go to the wrong people. Often, it's simpler to just design the product to avoid the problem in the first place!
  - jrockway 17y ago
    It's a frickin' LCD display. Anyone using a computer knows how to read, so they will be able to read the label. Not reading the label won't lead to harm, so there is no need to figure out how to make it obvious to the illiterate and the lazy.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 17y ago
      Spoken like an engineer...

chaosmachine 17y ago

Make it significantly longer and bright orange. Print the word "REMOVE" in large black letters on it. If that doesn't work, put a static-sticker right on the screen that says "REMOVE ORANGE TAG ON BACK BEFORE USING" with a little diagram. Can I get a job as a Lonovo designer now? :)

houseabsolute 17y ago
Ah, the scorched earth tactic.
- jrockway 17y ago
  Not really. It's just an effective way to bring people's attention to something that they need to do, but might not know that they need to do. Yeah, a base that doesn't need the pin might solve the problem... but do you want to pay $10 extra per monitor because an orange pin is inelegant? I don't.
  - houseabsolute 17y ago
    I wasn't disparaging it, I'm just pointing out that it's the bluntest possible instrument. And sometimes that's what you need to get the job done.
blasdel 17y ago
Then that text has to be localized. The real trick would be to have a very long piece of wide bright orange polypropylene ribbon attached to the pull-ring on the pin. Long enough that you'd want instinctively to pull it out so that it won't be in your way, long enough that you can't just tuck it in anywhere and pretend that it's supposed to be there. Just out-ugly the idiots.
- awa 17y ago
  I would imagine they would be localizing the manuals a bit (OSD usually are not that simple), adding one more line there shouldn't hurt.

ojbyrne 17y ago

Minor related complaint. Make it so the pin, when detached, is still tethered to the monitor base. I have a monitor with this feature, and I've moved twice since I got it (and removed, then lost the pin). The first time the box had an unnatural bulge. The second time I just said screw it, and wrapped the monitor in a blanket.

jrockway 17y ago

I got a Samsung monitor at work the other day. It had this pin, which is not something I was aware of before (my Dell 24" monitor didn't have one). Anyway, it had a big huge sticky-tape note on it, and one on the front asking you to remove it before use. It was so effective that I didn't even think about it.

bmelton 17y ago

I can't claim credit for the idea, but I think that the 'paper tag' (like you might find on clothing in a store) with the appropriate instruction. It's cheap, it will annoy people until they remove it, and it's fairly obviously a sign that it needs removing.

jsz0 17y ago

Other brands of monitors I've used (Samsung, Dell) simply have an adjustment system that doesn't require a locking pin. The best solution is probably to just move away from that design which might be mechanically valid but doesn't seem to be obvious to the consumer. Other companies ship the base not attached to the display which requires more user setup but is also more obvious. I can't really think of any plus sides to using the pin at all. Ignoring that and looking at the problem objectively I'd guess most people don't need a manual or even a "quick start" guide to connect a monitor and completely ignore it. Just put a big 8x11 sized sheet of paper over the front of the display that simply says "READ FIRST: REMOVE BLUE PIN" so it's impossible to ignore. Even if you quickly glance at it while ripping into the packaging you have time to process the information without the added clutter of teaching people how to plugin a power cable or press the ON button.

mixmax 17y ago

Attach the pin to the package with a piece of wire or thread. When the happy customer pulls out his new monitor the pin will automatically fall out. Easy.

mhb 17y ago
That doesn't address the surprising and undesirable "sproing" the customer will experience.

rriepe 17y ago

Attach a coupon to the pin that they can apply to future purchases.