resource center
  See your link here
|
Reuters - AMSTERDAM -- Half of all malfunctioning products returned to stores are in full working order, but customers can't figure out how to operate the devices, a scientist said on Monday.
Product complaints and returns are often caused by poor design, but companies frequently dismiss them as "nuisance calls," Elke den Ouden found in her thesis at the Technical University of Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands.
A wave of versatile electronics gadgets has flooded the market in recent years, ranging from MP3 players and home cinema sets to media centers and wireless audio systems, but consumers still find it hard to install and use them, according to den Ouden.
She also found that the average consumer in the U.S. will struggle for 20 minutes to get a device working before giving up.
Product developers, brought in to witness the struggles of average consumers, were astounded by the havoc they created.
Den Ouden also gave new products to a group of managers from consumer electronics company Philips Electronics NV, asking them to use them over the weekend. The managers returned frustrated because they could not get the devices to work properly.
She said most of the flaws found their origin in the first phase of the design process -- product definition.
This article is reprinted by permission from Reuters.com, Copyright (c) 2006 Reuters. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Reuters or its third-party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. For additional information on other Reuters Services, visit the Reuters public Web site.
Faster, Cheaper and Easier to Maintain
Can you afford not to upgrade your servers to today's advanced, energy-efficient technologies?
Do more with less thru Netcool?
Learn how IBM Tivoli® Netcool® solutions can help service providers streamline their operations, improve responsiveness and reduce costs.
Effectively Implementing Datacenter Automation
Effectively select and deploy the best datacenter automation solution today!
IDC report: Profitability and OSS Support: A Return on Investment Analysis of IBM Tivoli Netcool
IDC studied 14 mobile and fixed-line service providers that implemented Tivoli® Netcool® and found that IBM Tivoli Netcool can help in big ways.
Aligning IT to Business: The Rising Importance of Application Delivery Networks
Application Delivery Networking (ADN) will play a vital role in helping enterprises incorporate strategic technologies to achieve business initiatives.
IBM Systems Makeover Analysis for Oracle Environments
This brochure shows how the IBM Systems Makeover Analysis takes a look at your current Oracle hardware infrastructure, then proposes a high-level future...
Lower your IT costs and risks: Get a server makeover
Find out how a server makeover analysis can help you develop a high-level roadmap for your infrastructure.
Mitigate Risk, Lower Costs and Improve Network Efficiency
Create a stable IP network that not only meets today's challenges, but is flexible enough to also meet future demands.
Sign up to receive updates on the latest Hardware resources
CIO
Computerworld
CSO
DEMO
GamePro
Games.net
IDC
IDG
IDG Connect
IDG Knowledge Hub
IDG TechNetwork
IDG Ventures
IDG.net
InfoWorld
ITwhitepapers
ITworld
JavaWorld
LinuxWorld
Macworld
Network World
PC World
The Industry Standard
Copyright © 1994 - 2009 Computerworld Inc. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium
without express written permission ofComputerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc. |
