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Oh, the dials would drive me crazy. The best microwave UI I've used has several functions above the number pad, all of them completely optional. Typing a time
by stephengillie 13y ago
Oh, the dials would drive me crazy.
The best microwave UI I've used has several functions above the number pad, all of them completely optional. Typing a time on the number pad and pausing made the microwave start -- to rephrase, if you press 4 5 and didn't press anything for 3 seconds, the microwave would begin and operate for 45 seconds. Pressing 1 3 0 and walking away would run it for 1 minute 30 seconds. When it was done it beeped 3 times, then once every 10 minutes, until you open the door or press a button. At the bottom was a Power button which you could press to change the power level at any time, and a Start / +30 sec button which would add 30 seconds to the amount of time on the timer. And if the clock wasn't set, it would just display 00:00 solidly, not blinking.
Maybe this is a mis-remembered mix of the best UI elements from several microwaves, but to me it's ideal.
- drivers99 13y agoThe only downside I can think to that is what if you make a typo? "Stop/Clear" I assume?
- coldpie 13y agoNo typos. This is a high stakes microwave.
- kragen 13y agoMy grandparents set their house on fire by microwaving a potato for 50 minutes instead of 5 minutes. It's going to be really hard for any UI to compensate for that kind of disadvantage, where a subtle difference like pressing a digit an extra time can set your house on fire. The +30sec button is a reasonable button-oriented approach, but dials are a lot easier to use. I'm also not a big fan of your "walk away while the microwave is off and it turns on after three seconds" model.
- 666_howitzer 13y agoBest UI decision would be slapping a touch display on microwave which should be smudge proof.