I have another TV related usability story. We have a cheap TV we use in the basement. It’s a Konka (I’ve never heard of them either). It was given to me so I can’t complain too much. It’s a decent TV. Good picture and all of that. But there’s something that really bugs me about it. The buttons on the face of it are backwards-at least by US standards.
The channel up button is on the left and the channel down button is on the right. The volume is the same way. That’s just wrong! I thought everyone knew that the button on the right is supposed to be the up button. I can only guess, but maybe the standard in Japan is opposite of ours in the US. I don’t know for sure. But regardless of the cause, the usability of any interface should follow the accepted (even if unofficial) standards of the target audience.
If you’re manufacturing a TV for a US audience keep the up buttons on the right. A big part of usability is just adhering to accepted standards.
Filed under: Examples, Observations, Physical Interfaces, Standards, Symbols, Usability | Tagged: Konka, Physical Interfaces, TV, Usability
‘I’ve never heard of them either’ that was just too funny!! By the way I agree with the point you make.