Now that spring has arrived, the fan in my living room will be constantly on to help circulate fresh air that comes through the open windows. However, there are many usability problems with this fan. This fan has two strings, one that turns on the lights and another that turns on the fan wings. Unfortunately, there is no way for the user to know which string controls which feature.
By having strings that look exactly the same, the fan controls lack signifiers. While there is a shorter and longer string, which are supposed to help the user understand what each string controls, users forget time after time which string controls what feature. The strings also look the same, not providing a way for the user to distinguish one string from another. One way to solve this usability signifier problem would be to make the strings two different colors.
This fan system does not afford easy use to all of its users. Since the strings are relatively high, the shorter user may not be able to reach the strings in order to operate the fan. This fan does not afford a “universal design,” talked about by Norman in The Design of Everyday Things because handicap or shorter people would not be able to operate this system.
Error is also bound to occur when using this fan. If a user wants to make the fan go faster, the user must pull on the fan string more than once. Since the fan takes time to begin to move quickly, the user assumes he or she did not turn the fan on, therefore making a slip by pulling the string multiple times while trying to turn on the fan. Since the user can not go back, the user must continue to pull the fan string until he or she gets the fan to the intended speed.
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