Example 1: Stove burner nobs

The first usability problem in my everyday life is with the burner nobs on my stovetop. Specifically, the labeling of heat levels on the nobs is very confusing. As you can see in the image below, the left nob has a traditional set up: as you start to turn the burner, the heat goes from a low level (starting at the number 1) to a high level (up to 9). The left nob controls the top-right burner, as indicated by the small stovetop iconography to the right of the nob. Using this burner is very learnable, and no additional accordances aer needed to direct interaction because it is intuitive. The right burner nob, however, tells a different story.

Image of stovetop burner nobs

On the right, the usability of the nob is much worse. Instead of having one number range of heat intensities to choose from, there is a low-to-high range on either side of the nob, despite it only controlling one burner. Both indicators range from 2 to 8 and label a 'low' and 'high' amount of heat, however there is no description given as to what differentiates the two ranges. Is one more intense than another? Do they control different sides of the same burner? It is very confusing, and my roommate and I still have no idea how this burner was intended to be used (lol). Furthermore, it is unconventional that turning the burner will initially set the heat to high (or level 8). The burner is turned counterclockwise from its off position, which means as you spin around the burner, you go from high to low to high again. Overall, this burner is not learnable (especially given the lack of signifers).

Lastly, another weird thing about my stove is that there are 5 burners indicated through the circles on the stovetop, however there are only 4 burner nobs. Perhaps the top middle 'circle' on the stovetop is meant to be a cooling pad, however that is not indicated anywhere and is therefore hard to learn to use.

Stove top burners

To fix all of these problems, I believe additional signifers need to go with the accordance of the burner nobs. Specifically, if different heat ranges operate with different intensities (for example, the left high-low range in normal heat and the right high-low range is ultraheat), that needs to be implied somewhere so the user can better learn to operate the stovetop. Misunderstandings on how to operate the stove top -- or misconceptions on what heat level may be in use -- can lead to safety hazards in the kitchen. Furthermore, another icon should be added to the burner label icons next to the nobs to indicate what the middle top circle is for. Maybe an 'x' to imply no heat, or an ice cube. That would be assuming that the top-middle circle is indeed unheated, which I'm not even sure is true though...

Example 2: Dish washer opening

Side view of opened dish washer

Another big usability issue in my kitchen is with opening the dish washer. Because the dish washer was installed very close to the stove, and the stove has an oven door that protrudes, the dish washer door hits the oven before the user is able to open it more than a foot. Actually opening the dishwasher is very learnable and safe, however the interference of the two objects in design leads to an extreme lack of efficiency. Not only is it much more difficult for the user to load dishes (they have to be squeezed through the small gap of what can open of the dishwasher, only a fraction of the dishwasher's space can be used in turn. This is because it is extremely hard to reach into the back parts of the dish washers upper and lower levels (especially the lower level) when it can only be opened 1/4 of the way. Overall, this design was just extremely poor -- and particularly frustrating because it could have been avoided. The usability of the dishwasher is severely dampened because of surrounding interferences and a lack of proper planning of the space.

Top view of opened dish washer

In order to properly fix this problem, either the dish washer or the stove (or both!) should be moved all together. For example, moving the dishwasher to be an inch further away from the stove would do the trick. Alternatively, a thinner oven door could prevent the collision -- you can see that the dishwasher overlaps with the oven door by about a centimeter (so so frustrating). Because all of these options are rather arduous, however, the temporary 'quick' fix that my roommate and I use is opening the oven door before opening the dish washer door. While this still does not allow the dish washer to be opened all the way, it gives the user about 30% more room.

Example 3: Door blocking hallway

Above, you can see a video of a stairwell door opening in my friend's fraternity. This is the third usability issue I have defined: opening the door to go upstairs inherently blocks a user's ability to directly walk up the stairs. That is, when the opening door swings to the right, it perfectly fits in the available space and consequently completely blocks the hallway. Because the stairwell is narrow, the doorways were designed to justfit a swung open door without any wiggle room. While this is not a learnability issue, it could be a safety and efficiency issue. Specifically, if someone is trying to run upstairs during an emergency, they cannot quickly get around the door they are opening. They must either completely open it so it is against the wall, at which point they can pass through, or they must close it behind them. This makes it extremely difficult when large groups are trying to get through. Furthermore, this process inherently slows down the time it takes to enter and exit, affecting efficiency of the user.

In order to solve this issue, the stairwell doors could have been installed as pull doors from the outside (making them push doors on the inside of the stairwell). This would mean that they did not swing into the narrow stairwell, but rather into the landing floor itself. Consequently, when a user was in the stairwell, they would never encounter a swung open door that is blocking their way. Overall, installing doors that had the reverse push/pull convention to what is currently in place would solve issues of usability, safety, and efficiency.