Humour in Usability?
Can there be humour in usability? Is usability only in the digital space?
User interface (UI) design extends beyond software and Internet into everyday physical world, too. In the image above, an example of commonly used icons in automobiles. It has a humorous take on what they actually represent and perhaps demonstrates one area for improvement.
It’s not uncommon for those outside the usability space to only think of software & Internet as containing UI elements. However, like the icons above, the controls for you air con, radio, steering wheel controls, door handles, and spare tire & jack mount, are all was in which users interact with an automobile. Likewise, the remote on a TV, buttons on a blender, etc. are all inclusive in UI. Those UI elements build a user experience (UX), a feeling or impression of a product.
Automotive companies spend ten’s of thousands of dollars studying the sound of car exhaust, sound of door closing, the way knobs feel when turning then, and smell of cars. TV manufactures do the same for how remote buttons are arranged. Appliance companies invest in research on labels for buttons on blender, etc. These are commonly patented aspects for a brand. They make up the UX, they help to build a brand, convenience buyers to purchase their products, make the buyer feel like they want/need the automobile, TV, blender, etc.
This is just another example of how UI & UX are not one in the same.
But I’m not an expert!
