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Designing a calculator housing



#2

Hi,

I have some serious questions to all experts out there. When taking a recent calculator to hand, very often one can immediately find some problems whithin the first couple of minutes.

Example 1: Having keys on a calculator with beveled edges that lie outside the feet of the calculator (HP-20b) is plain silly.

Example 2: Placing an LCD so that small annunctiators lie right under the faceplate makes them easily shadowed (HP-35s).

Now, who does designs like that? Can we really explain such things with low budgets? Is the only constraint to a design that it mechanically works (when not in use)? It would have taken just a few minutes of thought to prevent the problems mentioned in my examples.

Next question, why is there no evolution in calculator housing design? Every new calcultor appears to look completely different, so that problems cannot be corrected but new ones are likely to be introduced.

Especially with HP, calculators seem to have a chance in niche markets only. Allthough some might not be distracted by its design, the 33S was a perfect example of a design that completely ignores its target audience. Last question: Why isn't HP designing for their users? Kids don't need a business or programmable scientific calculator. A student who does will likely have a look at the specs and price rather than if it matches their cell phones.

Or am I completely wrong?


#3

The problems in product design are many...

- There are so many design issues that it really is easy to overlook what some will see as basic stuff.

- The person or people doing the design usually cannot objectively review a design. Smart product design companies will call upon independent people to overlook the design at all phases of development. But getting people that are good and thorough at this is really hard.

- Even if you do find issues before release it's often too late in the design process to fix them. And many factors may mean you simply can't get these fixes implemented.

- Small things like you mention actually have zero measurable effect on unit sales, so it's often not in anyone's interest to fix things like this. Often design guys like me who raise issues like this will get shot down in flames, so often the natural evolution of that will make it's way into the final product...

You'd be really surprised at how easy it is for simple things to slip through (deliberately or unnoticed), no matter how good your intention or what processes you put in place. You really have to have experience in product design in a big company to appreciate (the often absurdity of) it all.

I've said this before, if HP (and other companies) were *really* smart and open minded they would make use of the "geek factor" and get a bunch of select calculator geeks to review their products at all stages of the design process. But that is a massive leap of faith which would be way too wacko an idea for them to seriously contemplate.

As for kids, their reference point is what the other kids have. And baring any such reference point they will choose whatever matches their phone or has been subliminally put in their heads by advertising or fancy packaging :->

Dave.


#4

If they keep a Lessons Learnt/User Feedback database then after many years/products, will they not have captured just about every possible thing that could be wrong? They would then just have to refer to the database at a few stages in the design before it is too late to make changes.


#5

In principle, you're right. Though that would require this database being filled in a way newbies can benefit. The guys working now at calculator division may not understand what their grandfathers wrote ;) No offense to anybody, but mere basic laws of communication. Always a challenge to pass experience to successors, even if you collaborate with them for some time -- and I think there was a somewhat broken line of history in this division, making such tasks even harder.

#6

Quote:
- Small things like you mention actually have zero measurable effect on unit sales

.. and a measurable effect on design costs.

What a company gets back for the investment is a reputation for quality. The Wal Mart effect means that such an advantage has little value for commodities.

While very much agreeing with your general point, I think it's good to remember that HP has recently bucked the Wal Mart tide to a surprising degree. The 50g was a response to consumer push-back on the quality of the 49g+. They actually fixed the keyboard and the color scheme, both of which were roundly (and justifiably) criticized, here and elsewhere. The next calculator they produced was the 35s which, despite flaws minor or otherwise, was astonishing for how it incorporated feedback from long time HP users, many of whom hang out here. (It didn't hurt that an old time PPC member was put in charge of the tiny calculator division, or that Richard Nelson got his ear.) The large enter key was a direct response to this community. Since we make up a tiny slice of the overall market for the 35s, the effort can only be due to them trying to regain a reputation for quality, using our sensibilities as a guide.

So Wal Mart hasn't completely banished excellence in American corporate product design and production. I'm hopeful HP will continue to design and market high quality calculators, at least at the high end of the product range. If they keep that up, I'll gladly forgive them for pandering to the lowest common denominator with the low end.

Regards,

Howard

#7

Quote:
... why is there no evolution in calculator housing design? Every new calculator appears to look completely different, so that problems cannot be corrected but new ones are likely to be introduced.

For better or worse (worse!) it appears that HP has determined that the current market demands a different package for each machine. You seem to be asking for a return to the era of steadily evolving calculators in the same or similar case. HP has been there, done that.
Quote:
... the 33S was a perfect example of a design that completely ignores its target audience. Last question: Why isn't HP designing for their users? Kids don't need a business or programmable scientific calculator.

Problem is, in my view, HP is a company searching for its target audience, at least regarding calculators. I think the 33s was an attempt to woo younger buyers who are attracted to "cool" styling, while the 35s is targeted to the traditionalist side. Perhaps this is a grand experiment by HP to let sales figures guide the future direction of the calculator division.
Quote:
Or am I completely wrong?

I think you are completely right.

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