ABSTRACT
There is evidence that people have difficulty operating the entire array of consumer products. Although one may expect that users would attribute their difficulties to the technology, in fact users tend to blame themselves for the problems that they encounter. The root of the problem more often than not lies in the design process. The designer often unknowingly incorporates degrees of complexity into devices, interfaces, and instructions that create imbalances between the demands imposed by these products and the mental and physical resources at the disposal of the user. There are some cases in which designers may actually produce designs that underuse people’s resources, and this also is an undesirable outcome. However, under the present technological and economic climate, which is resulting in a proliferation of technological innovations at very reasonable costs, it is more often the case that people, especially older product users, will be left overwhelmed and dissatisfied.
