Usability Journal #2

This is a picture of a can opener that my roommate and I purchased. This looks like a normal can opener but after trying again and again we have found that it does not open cans. The space between the blade and the pressure handle is too great so that it does not grab the lip of the can and is unable to open cans. This is an example of bad mapping because the can opener does not work. It is a good example of bad design because the user, already having the knowledge of how to use a can opener, cannot figure out how to use this tool.

Usability Journal #1

This is a picture of the light above my bed in Funkhouser West and on this light there is a outlet on one side. The available outlet is on the far side of the light therefore far away from my bed/ head board of my bed. This is a bad example of design and specifically mapping because the outlet on the far side makes it hard to reach my phone when it is plugged in. Another flaw is that if I had a regular iphone charger, my phone would dangle from the light. This makes it difficult to charge the phone and can cause the charger to break easily. On the other side of the lamp is a metal square plate that looks like it would be an outlet and would therefore be an easier spot to plug in a charger but it is not an outlets so therefore it is badly designed and confusing to the user. The solution to this problem would simply be to have an outlet on both sides of the lamp. This would allow the user to have an easier access to either of the outlets and it would end up being a more functional lamp.