Does Dell do design?
– posted August 10th, 2006 by Laurence Veale Comments (2)
Today, on digg.com, I followed a link to a blog post about the poorly designed USB ports on a Dell Latitude laptop. It reminded me of a recent rant I had in the office about a similar problem I had with my Dell tower PC (an Optiplex GX 280). As a result of my venomous rant, I was even given honorary membership of the iQ Content Apple fan club, increasing the number of cardholders by 25%. It was a proud moment. But what was my beef with Dell?
Dell Optiplex GX280 misplacement of the USB ports
My tower PC sits on the floor, under my desk. In terms of saving space, it’s the only place for it. I assume most tower PCs are placed in the same way. The problem I have is also with two USB ports. The Dell PC has a plastic flap at the front, under which are hidden the USB ports and a slot for headphones. The problem is the placement of these two USB ports. They are low and open downward towards the floor. It’s almost impossible to actually find them let alone plug something into them, unless you want to lie completely horiztonal while trying to do so. The only way to get access to them is to rip off the plastic flap and then use a USB extension cable.
Is Dell’s poor usability design a big deal?
Dell PCs are a fraction of the cost of an Apple-equivalent specification. Perhaps this “small” inconvenience is worth the cost. Dell doesn’t hire leading designers to produce a beautiful PC so it can pass the savings onto the customer. I don’t buy it. This example is simple ergonomics, not aesthetics. I’m not looking for the same beautiful visceral response in a Dell that I expect when I use an Apple. There doesn’t need to be this kind of trade-off. I’m not asking for a beautiful looking Dell, just one that is simply usable.
Design evolving
In Dell’s defence, a new Optiplex GX520 that we bought yesterday has no plastic flap and a pair of USB ports that are much easier to reach.
They’re described on the Dell site as “Two USB 2.0 ports are conveniently located on the front of the system with easy access and spacing for side by side installation of USB devices”. Perhaps they’ve learned from their previous mistakes or read a couple of critical blog posts! It’s good to see the design evolve, with the latest incarnation ironing out what must have been a real problem for users like me.
The moral of the story is that designing usability is not just about websites, it’s also about the everyday things.
Recommended reading on design and usability
- The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman.
- The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High-tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity by Alan Cooper
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Categories Design
2 comments so far
1. nesss on Aug 10th, 2006 - 18:49
“Dell PCs are a fraction of the cost of an Apple-equivalent specification.”
You obviously haven’t read the digg that a Dell equivalent costs DOUBLE the price of the identically configured Mac Pro.
Oooh and think of all the wonderful bonuses that come with the mac… the choice is so painfully obvious, it hurts that some people STILL can’t seem to see the better company and product. You know, you don’t have to abandon windows- the mac can do that too
2. Nathan Waters on Aug 11th, 2006 - 02:36
The perfect solution: build your own PC
It’s cheap, easy and you can pack the tower with all the top-quality brand parts for a fraction of the cost of buying from Dell with their generically-packed towers.
Dell are in the cheap, mass-produced PC market so obviously the quality won’t be great.
Although in terms of marketing and customer retention, Dell are pretty damn good. They will have noticed this story on Digg and probably working on fixing the problem and doing a press release soon.
cheers
nathan
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