The first chapter of the book was riveting. I really enjoy Norman's breakdown of even the most simple objects. I was going to write about my alarm clock, but he already wrote about it, so what I'm going to blog about are things that you have to plug in.
Electrical plugs are simple, yet complex. Countries around the world have several different types of plugs, so for those of us that enjoy traveling to foreign countries, an adaptor is required (unless you go somewhere that provides adaptors). However, while electrical plugs and outlets in America have two different sizes (one large, one small), I somehow manage to get it wrong every single time. To further the problem of electrical outlets, some plugs are larger than others, so plugging things in requires some maneuvering. At Wellesley, the plugs are backwards, something I realized after a week and a half of attempting to plug things in and failing. It would have been nice for someone to mark the larger side of the plug so that I knew, rather than having to try multiple times to plug something in. USB ports and drives also pose the same problem. For USBs that do not have any markings to distinguish which side is up and down, plugging them into a computer requires multiple tries. Sometimes, you'll try twice and fail anyways. Regardless, something simple as plugging a USB drive into a port becomes difficult when things are not properly marked, much like the doors that Norman describes in his first example
Great post; USB ports and electrical outlets are amazing in their inconsistency (despite an electrical code for the latter) and ability to cause frustration. Other plug styles are better at helping you ... mini USBs even. Curious why these ubiquitous ones have not evolved better.
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