The MicroFridge: You Can’t Have the Best of Both Worlds
The “MicroFridge with SafePlug” is a combination microwave and minifridge, with extra outlets for maximum connectivity. The microwave works, but that’s about the best I can say about it. To be fair, its infuriating UI components most likely stem from design restrictions and short-term nature of the microwave.
The handle was the first part of the microwave that threw me off. From the front, it looks like a typical microwave handle, so I assumed that like a typical microwave handle, you can wrap your hand all the way around the handle. However, the inside of the handle is connected to the microwave with plastic, making it more of a protrusion than a handle. It’s harder to grip than a handle, and using it was disconcerting because it’s so different from what I initially expected.
The next UI component I battled with was the error message. I put my soup in the microwave, entered 90 seconds, and pressed “Start.” Instead of a comforting, warm bowl of soup, I received a jarring beep and “ERR” flashing on the LED screen. I was left on my own to figure out what part of my input was incorrect, which in my case, took me four minutes and steam pouring out of my ears. A descriptive error message would have saved me a lot of time and trouble, as I could have known instantly that the microwave doesn’t accept more than sixty seconds as input. In general, descriptive error messages inform the user of any inconsistencies in the function of the microwave, relative to normal microwave function, as well as tell the user what has gone wrong if there is a mishap. The three letters that are displayed fulfill neither of those functions.
However, these poor design choices were most likely caused by design constraints. The microwave is sold as a microwave and mini-fridge set with free delivery, and is targeted toward college students (see https://mymicrofridge.com) Therefore, the microwave is only meant to be a short-term solution to the problem of reheating food, and it needs to be cheap and light. This explains the handle: it is made of cheap plastic, for cost and weight reasons. Since it is cheap material and made to travel, the extra plastic connecting it to the door was probably added to reinforce the handle. As for the “ERR” message, it’s frustrating for the user, but easy to implement on the manufacturer’s side. Since the user is intended to only use the microwave for a relatively short period of time, the cost benefit of only programming in a short message outweighs the user dissatisfaction. This probably ties into college students’ typically low expectations for their appliances, too.
Overall, the microwave is learnable. Discovering the capabilities of the microwave is a trial-and-error process due to the “ERR” messages, but other than that, though, the microwave works like a standard microwave. The microwave is memorable, too, since it follows the standards. It is also efficient because of this: the standard keypad layout allows users to quickly and easily press the buttons that they want.
To improve the microwave, I would use invest in a sturdier plastic with similar weight for the handle so the plastic between the handle and the microwave would no longer be necessary. I would also invest in scrolling error messages: I doubt the hardware is significantly more expensive, and you would only have to program it once.
