Why does everything have to beep?
Have you noticed how many of the objects around us beep or buzz?
From a microwave to a phone on to a lift to a bus.
I believe there are two possible reasons for this: design in isolation; and featuritis.
Designed in isolation comes from not being aware of or not being concerned with the big picture of the end user’s life. The designer assumes that the product he or she is designing is the only product that is worthy of the end user’s attention.
Featuritis is simply an attempt by manufacturers to differentiate their products in the least expensive and most superficial way possible. Instead of fundamentally thinking about how to add real value to a user’s life, and therefore making their products naturally differentiated.
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So what’s the alternative to the much maligned beep?
There needs to be some feedback to say, “Yes, I have received your command.” Beeps are easy to do and universally understood.
Beeping in and of itself is not the problem. The problem comes when everything is treated as of equal importance. So everything beeps, and it becomes noise and not an indicator any more.
Examples of workarounds:
Replace beeps with other senses. If we used mechanical buttons, we can feel each button being pushed, and thus no need for beeping.
Mechanical buttons on normal mobile phones don’t need to beep. Touchscreen buttons, because of their non-tactile nature, may need to beep.
Of course, beeping, non-tactile buttons are cheaper. And so we trade off moments of peace in our lives for cheaper technology.
Some functions simple should not beep. A microwave should beep at the end of a cooking cycle. But it should not beep every five minutes thereafter to “remind” me I have left food in the oven. It may as well beep every hour to remind me the power is on and all is well.
Using too much beeping is like using too many flashing lights. When everything is clamouring for attention, nothing gets attention.
The visual equivalent of the pervasive beep could be the ubiquitous blue LED…
Technically it should be possible to centralize. Like Morning 9AM to 5PM all beepers will send messages by email/twitter/IM. Remaining time will message user on cellphone.
Give it a shot and let me know if it makes you feel any better
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Good idea Ssy.
Its alright. I have knobbled most of the things in my life that beeps. Mobile phone tones can be disabled. Other less configurable appliances can have their speakers gouged out with a screwdriver… Mua ha ha ha ha… I fell good!