Monday, June 19, 2006

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Useability of Everyday Items: Flaw in the Telephone It is way too easy to unintentionally end a telephone call. Push the wrong button, and zap--your circuit is ended. Compare this to the typical computer application which at least checks with you before it carries out your "command" to leave unexpectedly. Back in the old days, before pushbuttons, it was somewhat harder to do this--you would have to depress the switchhook for a couple of seconds. Still, it could be done--toddlers, animals, or stray objects falling across the phone the wrong way. This has happened to me a few times recently when I was switching from speakerphone to regular mode on a cordless phone. Some phones I have had use the SPKR button as a toggle--so pressing it while you are on speakerphone mode changes it back to handset-mode. Others, however, use the TALK button to switch back, and assume pressing the SPKR button is how you want to hang up! 6:46:20 PM    comment []