Open House: Archives

I started writing this to share about this life-changing ice cube tray that I discovered, but the topic has quickly grown into something bigger. We'll get to the ice cube tray shortly.

Charles and Ray Eames, one way or another, introduced to me a phrase/concept that has been stuck in my head for years: "Designer as host." Try as I may, not even Google can help me find out more about this particular phrase. I'm probably remembering it incorrectly, but the concept is valid regardless: A designer is a host, of sorts, to any user/viewer who finds themselves at the mercy of whatever it is that the designer has designed (products, printed material, websites, etc.). Hopefully they are a good host. If you are a designer or are hiring one, imagine that your users/viewers/readers are guests in your house. How would you treat them?

Example. Bad Host.
I was graciously gifted a stainless steel water bottle. It is attractive, well-made and well-concieved, except for one important detail: the opening at the top is exactly the wrong size for the human face. A little bigger and you could drink from it like a glass. A little smaller and you could chug from it like a soda bottle. The way it is.... nearly impossible to use without choking, spilling or splashing yourself in the eye. I thought maybe it was just my big nose or funny chin so I asked around - the problem is nearly universal. Too bad. It could have been a really nice bottle. If only the designer had imagined (or tested) what it might be like to use their product. Not a very good host, I'm afraid. Makes me think they must have been more interested in making or selling bottles than what it might be like to use one. Puts me off a bit. I feel jilted. I often find myself angry at a product or company, muttering that they must not be a very good host. If they ever invite me over for roast beef, I might think twice (maybe).

Good host: Oxo Ice Cube Tray.
Besides a few special or novelty shapes designed for particular purposes, most ice cubes seem to work just as well as the others for the purpose of chilling your average drink. Some are smaller, some are bigger. They are round-ish or square-ish. You may have a preference, but in the end, the differences are not great - functionally speaking. But what about the user's experience - in particular: getting the little bastards out of the tray? I'd venture a guess that 10-20% of ice cubes fall to the floor/sink/counter top during the noisy and frustrating effort of extraction. At least as many break in the process, and some of them never come out at all. You twist the tray, bang them on the counter, try to pop the perfect amount of cubes out with a deft flipping motion - without losing any over the edge. I'm picturing the frustrated, bedraggled house wife at the beginning of an infomercial. There must be a better way! Indeed there is. An ice cube with a rounded bottom is easily extracted by pushing down on one side... the other side pops up like a Whack-a-Mole, and you can grab it easily. That's it. Good host. The designer had the user in mind. Makes me feel welcome, like they care about me as a person, and the quality of my life. I honestly appreciate that.

Why is this so interesting to me? It's a great example of how a silly little detail can greatly change your user's attitude about your product or company. It can color their whole experience. The same principle applies to print and website design. Is it easy to find the information I am looking for in your brochure or website? Do I have to dig for five minutes to find your phone number? Where are the office hours listed? Are you really going to make me count the months on my fingers when I'm giving you the expiration date on my credit card, or do you include the numbers in the pull down menu?

As designers we are in a position to play host, and in so doing we not only make people's everyday experiences a little happier, we reflect well upon the clients that hire us to represent them. Everyone wins when our designs are considerate - like a good host.

I can't remember the last time I bought an ice cube tray. I guess they come with the refrigerator most of the time. This is worth upgrading. Chalk it up as one of life's little triumphs and drink to that!