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The name of his Web site might be a clue. An experiment: perhaps microwave cookers. Issue 500 free modified cookers to a suitable target group who might need t

The name of his Web site might be a clue. An experiment: perhaps microwave cookers. Issue 500 free modified cookers to a suitable target group who might need them, e.g. undergraduates. The modification consists of a simple device that records the settings used each time the microwave is used and uploads the results to a central server each week. My hypothesis is that the number of programs actually used will be a very small subset of the total available. I know that my microwave oven is mainly used to reheat leftover soup, and occasionally to make porridge in the bowl. Highest power, 3 minutes or 5 minutes, that is that. The issue is to make the most commonly used settings easily found. Back to UI design again. Edit: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7674708 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7674708 Acomjean arrived at a similar place while I wrote this.

deleted 13y ago
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CocaKoala 13y ago
the most commonly used settings on this rice cooker ARE the most easily found, though! You press the power button! You press the "White Rice" button if you're cooking white rice; you press the "Brown Rice" button if you're cooking brown rice. This rice cooker demonstrates EXACTLY what you're saying should be done, and yet this man complains.
- slantyyz 13y ago
  If you look at the lineup of Aroma (the brand the OP chose) rice cookers, you'll see that the author could have bought a simple one-button model just like his old one, but chose not to. http://www.aroma-housewares.com/kitchen/appliances/products/Rice%20Cookers.html http://www.aroma-housewares.com/kitchen/appliances/products/... In terms of whether his cooker will last 25 years, I'm not really sure how good Aroma is as a brand, but most of the Asian people I know (I'm Asian too) buy top end Japanese branded rice cookers like Zojirushi and Panasonic (aka National) -- and these cookers last a really long time. When you eat rice daily or almost daily, spending a little more for reliability is a no-brainer.
danudey 13y ago
The usage patterns I've noticed from watching people use microwaves: 1. Everyone always uses max power 2. Everyone cooks in increments of 30s 3. No other functionality ever gets used because no one knows what it does/implies Thus a simplistic microwave design would consist of a '+30s' button and a 'Start/Stop' button. This would probably make microwaves much less complicated internally, and thus cheaper and more reliable. That said, I don't think either of those is part of the design goals of most appliance manufacturers.

deleted 13y ago

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CocaKoala 13y ago

the most commonly used settings on this rice cooker ARE the most easily found, though! You press the power button! You press the "White Rice" button if you're cooking white rice; you press the "Brown Rice" button if you're cooking brown rice. This rice cooker demonstrates EXACTLY what you're saying should be done, and yet this man complains.

slantyyz 13y ago
If you look at the lineup of Aroma (the brand the OP chose) rice cookers, you'll see that the author could have bought a simple one-button model just like his old one, but chose not to. http://www.aroma-housewares.com/kitchen/appliances/products/Rice%20Cookers.html http://www.aroma-housewares.com/kitchen/appliances/products/... In terms of whether his cooker will last 25 years, I'm not really sure how good Aroma is as a brand, but most of the Asian people I know (I'm Asian too) buy top end Japanese branded rice cookers like Zojirushi and Panasonic (aka National) -- and these cookers last a really long time. When you eat rice daily or almost daily, spending a little more for reliability is a no-brainer.

danudey 13y ago

The usage patterns I've noticed from watching people use microwaves: 1. Everyone always uses max power 2. Everyone cooks in increments of 30s 3. No other functionality ever gets used because no one knows what it does/implies Thus a simplistic microwave design would consist of a '+30s' button and a 'Start/Stop' button. This would probably make microwaves much less complicated internally, and thus cheaper and more reliable. That said, I don't think either of those is part of the design goals of most appliance manufacturers.