Video Recorders Top the List of Difficult Objects
June 6, 2005 | Levent OZLER
Video recorders are the most difficult objects to use in the home, according to a survey of consumer frustration.
Despite nearly three decades of practice, most people admit that they find programming a VCR unnecessarily fiddly and complicated.
Installing a child car seat and using a digital television were also high on the list.
The findings highlight the common complaint that manufacturers concentrate too much on adding features to products and too little on making them easy to use.
Last week Vodafone unveiled a "back to basics" mobile phone with large buttons and a big screen in response to complaints that most handsets are too complicated and have endless functions that their owners do not need.
The survey was carried out by the consultants User Vision, who asked 500 people to name the items in everyday life which they found most difficult to use.
Digital cameras were the fourth most frustrating product, followed by washing machines/dishwashe rs and tin openers.
Difficult-to-open packaging was a common complaint, with orange and milk cartons and wrapping for batteries, CDs, DVDs, razors and Easter eggs high on the list.
Adhesive tape was a major bugbear, with many complaining about the difficulty in finding the end of a roll.
more: news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/200 (106)
163 impressions - 40,357 clicks
