Why Is Product Design About Human-Machine Relationship?
“Sorry, but did you mean Siri?”
“Oh Siri, yes. Siri, look up what product design means.”
“I have found three definitions and multiple research papers that explain the meaning of product design.”
“Ok Google, read me the first definition.”
“Come again? Did you say Google? I am Siri.”
Flustered, “Sorry Siri, please read me the first definition.”
No, this is not a ‘calling Siri by other names’ joke. This is also not about Siri, Alexa, or Google. This is much more than that. It is about the larger category that they fall under, which is machines. But can machines ever be talked about without its user? One follows where the other goes, quite literally these days! There is no separating the two. Suddenly this sounds like a romance novel.
The truth of the matter is that the human-machine relationship is as complex as any romantic novel’s plot, maybe more. Before we go any further, we must define what we mean when we say machine. The machine is something that we presume we will all understand. The simplest definition found in the Oxford online dictionary states, “A piece of equipment with several moving parts that uses power to do a particular type of work.” By this definition, a pair of scissors is as much a machine as a computer. A stapler is as much a machine as a refrigerator.
A refrigerator put simply is a cooling box. We use it to store our everyday perishable items. A model found commonly in our homes is the ‘top freezer/bottom refrigerator’ one. We open it multiple times a day and even bear the inconvenience of getting those veggies from the bottom of the refrigerator. All this while the seldom-used freezer unit sits at a much more accessible height, mocking our very existence! Our daily interaction with machines defines the relationship we have with them. The system of using these machines often determines the quality of our interaction with them.
Now think of the ‘top refrigerator/bottom freezer’ model. Everything we need daily is kept in the refrigerator — easily accessible. Things we do not need often can be kept below in the freezer. This eliminates the user bending down too many times every day. Thus, an effectively designed machine leads to a positive relationship with it. This is how human-machine relationships can be defined.
The human users, the human-machine interface, and the machine together are the components of the human-machine relationship. Machines are conceptualised, designed, and manufactured by humans. They are made to solve specific problems and provide limited function. As a result, they do not embody cultural knowledge and experience like history, memory and empathy, unless learning it is part of the design. Rather, they follow a set of mechanical rules set up in the form of pathways. What this also means is that they are incapable of finding errors within this pathway. So, any error even in a machine is a human error, technically speaking!
Humans on the other hand are complex creatures. We rely on the competence of individuals and groups. We rely on a human’s imagination, creativity, and learning from experience. When electric refrigerators were first made available to the general public, they gained commercial success quickly. This was probably because our ancestors were excited about having their favourite meal the next day without it going bad! Next, the latch doors were replaced with magnetically sealed ones. The toxic gases were replaced by less toxic ones. Today, a typical fridge uses about half the amount of energy compared to a similar model from the 1970s. Gradual design and engineering innovation have resulted in the refrigerators we see today.
What is worth noting in the human-machine relationship is that machines do not take into account the knowledge of human behaviour and its strengths. They draw on precise and accurate delivery of a narrow set of functions repeatedly, something humans aren’t very good at. Another facet of the human-machine relationship is that it is becoming increasingly interdependent. The invention of smartphones in the last decade has dramatically changed our interaction with technology. A cell phone is almost like an appendage to us. We do not go a day without interacting with it. It has created a digital world filled with repetitive tasks such as alarms and reminders to housing our digital identities on social media platforms.
These machines are created by us, humans. But, a majority of the time they fail to be accessible and approachable by us, like a glass door refrigerator (yes….it was a thing!). Or sometimes become all-consuming like a smartphone. Thus, the design of a product needs to take into account all temporal levels of user experience. The onus here lies on the product designer. The end-product cannot be achieved by being logical and scientific, but by being realistic and understanding of human behaviour and psychology.
The full knowledge of a machine is with the designer. But sadly, it is never revealed to us through optimal product design. Thus, we fail to make full use of the products and deliver through the limited functions of the machines. Here, it isn’t the people who are at fault, rather the design of the machine. In some cases, the product design might have the optimal understanding to create a good human-machine relationship. But, it might not be feasible due to lack of technology or costs. But for the most part, product design failure arises from a lack of understanding of design principles that inform human-machine interaction and experience. In such cases, while the most complex ones can lead to disasters, the most everyday products can cause frustration. The machine has been created to make our lives easier. So, they should be designed based on an understanding of human behaviour.
About the Writer
Malika Vaidya is an architect and writer. She is the Co-Founder of Architecture Pulse, a blog that explores the intersection of architecture and society. She is a graduate of the Rachna Sansad’s Academy of Architecture (AoA), Mumbai. She has interned at One Habitat Studio and The Origin.
About the Editor
Vishwa Balani is an English Literature graduate from St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad and MS University, Baroda. She has been associated with CEPT University for two and a half years now where she has taught writing to students across various courses. Her tryst with language began very early in life and it has continued no matter which field she chooses to work in. She likes experimental writing but also believes in grammar, and the Oxford comma.
About the Illustrator
Anonymous
