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Turn down the TV
You
are sitting in front of the TV, and want
to turn down the sound. You grab the remote control,
scan for the button with the down-arrow
and push it. The TV gets louder! You
pushed the up-arrow button instead of the
down-arrow button. Why?
The letter "V" for volume is on the two volume control buttons. Although the buttons are shaped like up- and down-arrows for increasing and decreasing the volume, the letter "V" looks like a down-arrow. When you are scanning the remote control for a down-arrow, you see the "V" as a down-arrow, and press it. Unfortunately, the first "V" you see is on the up-arrow!
Design suggestion
Instead of the large "V" as a label on the volume control buttons, "Vol" in smaller letters could be used. In general, a control's features such as placement, shape, labeling, size, etc. need to work together to convey how to use the control. In this example, the shape and label convey conflicting information.
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Copyright © Michael J. Darnell 1996-2010. All rights reserved.
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