5 ms·
The better argument, I think, is "Do we need that much optimization?" Does the trial and error performed by a casual switch user cost us so much that spending
by mattlutze 13y ago
The better argument, I think, is "Do we need that much optimization?"
Does the trial and error performed by a casual switch user cost us so much that spending the money on custom layout light panels makes sense? I think only in a very small set of applications.
To counterpoint your second paragraph: The existing wall switches are much more than a poor first time experience and require more cognition. When using the "efficient" vertical wall switch panel, you already have to import your full object recognition library without errors. You then have to call up your list of mappings between rooms and switch position on the panel so you can flip the correct one.
With the map, you only need to load your scheme of the office into active memory to select the appropriate switch. Further, the map provides error checking for your cognitive model, confirming / reinforcing the true layout (in a complex map, a user is bound to forget a room or take longer to recall it's location without the external map).
Anecdotally, I lived in my family's third house for a year and a half, and never completely memorized the functions of the 6 switch panel in our front hall.
Imagine an office, where different panels control different light banks depending on where they are in that large office space. The common user (average person in the office seldom turns on or off various things) will need to hunt for the right switch.
- lnanek2 13y agoYeah, but in a couple years new construction will probably just be putting LCD panels and voice control in instead of light switches anyway. So crude targeting lights on will just be done by voice and you can have a fancy map on the panel if you want since it is just an LCD anyway.
- avn2109 13y agoI loathe the day when this becomes true. It's an isomorphic situation to the decline in user experience that happened when automobile dashboard interfaces went from hard controls (tactile feedback, easy to grab, simple) to special-purpose touchscreens (unreliable, complex, ugly).
- mattlutze 13y agoCost will continue to be a factor for many years. A panel of switches may cost $25, While an integrated LCD touchscreen networked back to a control unit may cost factors more. Construction being the low-margin business it often is, I would be surprised if too many LCD panels and voice activation is common in the near future. What I think is more likely are smarter motion/heat sensors combined with a scheduling system. During different times, certain banks of lights will turn on and off depending on the detection of people there. For conference rooms that may still need manual control lights for presentations, switches are fine because there's only one or two of them. No brainer.