The forgotten user group
Cautionary Note: I don't actually know what I'm talking about here. I'm just trying to bring up a problem that few people think about, talk about how it affects me, and offer my ideas about how to make things better. I am prone to making huge mistakes about usability and human factors, so you should not take any of my comments related to these as an expert opinion.
This week, my mom and I spent hours searching for right-oblique (left-handed) calligraphy nibs small enough for addressing envelopes. That's right--I'm doing my own addresses for my wedding invitations. Calligraphy nibs are generally flat across the bottom. These work well for right-handed people, but they don't work for lefties who write in the "ideal" position, with their hand falling under the line they are currently writing, neither pushing nor pulling the paper as they form letters. I happen to be one of these lefties. I have tried using standard nibs, but I cannot find a way to form letters such that the thickness varies properly (you hold the pen at an angle, so depending on how you move the pen, you get either a thick or a thin stroke). Anyhow, there are several starter sets out there for lefties, and Speedball, the primary manufacturer of dip pen nibs in this country, offers its five most common sizes to left-handers. Unfortunately, these sets and the five most common sizes are not small enough to address envelopes. It makes me wonder just what exactly people are doing with their Speedball nibs. It is important to note that top-of-the-line pens are available for left-handed people. They just cost more than $150.
I found a site in the UK some time back that I've always admired--Anything Left-Handed. They offer several calligraphy sets, but they don't report nib sizes. After some time, I found the manufacturer's web site and was able to confirm that the "fine" nib in the sets will work. I ended up ordering myself a cartridge pen set, a dip pen set, a fountain pen, and a left-handed ruler.
Maybe I shouldn't be complaining, but it doesn't seem fair that I spent hours looking for something I could buy at any arts-and-crafts store if I were right handed. Lefties are supposed to account for approximately 10% of the general worldwide population. I realize this isn't a huge percentage, but it seems big enough that I shouldn't be snubbed when I call pen manufacturers or email their customer support looking for left-handed pens. I don't mind if you charge me more. I realize that the smaller demand results in higher production expenses. I do mind if I get an email back just repeating the website blurb that "pens are available for left-handers in our five most popular sizes" (they only make 7 sizes--would it really be so hard to include the other two?) or a sales rep condescendingly remarking "we haven't carried that line for four or five years."
Lefties deal with hundreds of inconveniences per week. Everything from doorknobs to computer desks to bread knives is customized for the right-handed user. We adapt or conform to the extent that we don't really realize how annoying it all is. That is, until we get the right materials. I can tell you're all asking yourselves "How is a ruler right handed?" Well, when you draw a long line, where do you start on the page? It's generally more comfortable to start as far from your writing hand as possible. So a left-handed person using a ruler to draw a line has a choice of starting with the ruler at 12" and subtracting to get the correct line length or trying to make the line over the ruler. Neither is a good option. A left-handed ruler simply reverses the number line.
Have you ever seen the episode of the Simpsons where Ned (who owns a left-handed store) dates the actress? She came into the shop looking for a left-handed eyelash curler. I would love one of those! The eyelash curler is a fabulous invention that I don't trust myself to use; I just don't have the hand-eye coordination necessary with my right hand.
You can't even use a manual pencil sharpener left-handed.
Why don't more companies think about left-handed consumers? I can understand products that have been around for ages like knives and pencil sharpeners and peelers, etc, being geared for the right-handed. But why is it that more and more frequently I am seeing the mousepad on laptops shifting to the left side of the keyboard? I may use a standard mouse right-handed (except for drawing and occasional photoshopping), but I use the mousepad left-handed. I think a lefty designed the Mac's old round one-button mouse. I loved that thing. Having it, I switched the mouse to the left side and never looked back. Now I buy the cheapest infrared Logitech mice I can find because they are not curved to fit the right hand, so I can switch when I want to be creative.
Why don't 10% of coffee mugs have the design set to face lefties? Why not just put the designs on both sides in the first place?
Why, in a build-it-myself computer desk, can't I change which side the storage area is on?
Why don't designers remember left-handed people when they remember so many other odd groups, whose members often pale in comparison to the number of lefties out there?
One last thing I'd love to have: a refrigerator whose doors were reversed.
Update
Well, it turns out that my mom is right--I can reverse the door on my fridge. On the other hand, I was primarily concerned with refrigerators that have split doors for the freezer and fridge, and not with the fridges where the freezer is at the top or the bottom. I've read somewhere that the "best" design for the fridge is one with the freezer on the bottom--this way you are not constantly bending down to get the things you most commonly use.
At any rate, I choose to replace my frustration with refrigerators with my frustration with coffee makers. The coffee press Jud has is truly ambidextrous, but neither his nor my drip maker is. There are two problems with the coffee maker. First, the water lines are only on one side of the pot itself, which means that if I am making the coffee, I get to choose between not seeing how much water I'm putting in and not being able to pour the water with my left hand (since I have to reach over the pot). This wouldn't be much of a problem unless coffee makers also had the second (and correlated third problem): the caraffe's water lines only face you if you're holding the caraffe with your right hand. A second problem is that eight cups measured on the caraffe isn't eight cups measured in the pot. Why not? It's a mystery.
This week, my mom and I spent hours searching for right-oblique (left-handed) calligraphy nibs small enough for addressing envelopes. That's right--I'm doing my own addresses for my wedding invitations. Calligraphy nibs are generally flat across the bottom. These work well for right-handed people, but they don't work for lefties who write in the "ideal" position, with their hand falling under the line they are currently writing, neither pushing nor pulling the paper as they form letters. I happen to be one of these lefties. I have tried using standard nibs, but I cannot find a way to form letters such that the thickness varies properly (you hold the pen at an angle, so depending on how you move the pen, you get either a thick or a thin stroke). Anyhow, there are several starter sets out there for lefties, and Speedball, the primary manufacturer of dip pen nibs in this country, offers its five most common sizes to left-handers. Unfortunately, these sets and the five most common sizes are not small enough to address envelopes. It makes me wonder just what exactly people are doing with their Speedball nibs. It is important to note that top-of-the-line pens are available for left-handed people. They just cost more than $150.
I found a site in the UK some time back that I've always admired--Anything Left-Handed. They offer several calligraphy sets, but they don't report nib sizes. After some time, I found the manufacturer's web site and was able to confirm that the "fine" nib in the sets will work. I ended up ordering myself a cartridge pen set, a dip pen set, a fountain pen, and a left-handed ruler.
Maybe I shouldn't be complaining, but it doesn't seem fair that I spent hours looking for something I could buy at any arts-and-crafts store if I were right handed. Lefties are supposed to account for approximately 10% of the general worldwide population. I realize this isn't a huge percentage, but it seems big enough that I shouldn't be snubbed when I call pen manufacturers or email their customer support looking for left-handed pens. I don't mind if you charge me more. I realize that the smaller demand results in higher production expenses. I do mind if I get an email back just repeating the website blurb that "pens are available for left-handers in our five most popular sizes" (they only make 7 sizes--would it really be so hard to include the other two?) or a sales rep condescendingly remarking "we haven't carried that line for four or five years."
Lefties deal with hundreds of inconveniences per week. Everything from doorknobs to computer desks to bread knives is customized for the right-handed user. We adapt or conform to the extent that we don't really realize how annoying it all is. That is, until we get the right materials. I can tell you're all asking yourselves "How is a ruler right handed?" Well, when you draw a long line, where do you start on the page? It's generally more comfortable to start as far from your writing hand as possible. So a left-handed person using a ruler to draw a line has a choice of starting with the ruler at 12" and subtracting to get the correct line length or trying to make the line over the ruler. Neither is a good option. A left-handed ruler simply reverses the number line.
Have you ever seen the episode of the Simpsons where Ned (who owns a left-handed store) dates the actress? She came into the shop looking for a left-handed eyelash curler. I would love one of those! The eyelash curler is a fabulous invention that I don't trust myself to use; I just don't have the hand-eye coordination necessary with my right hand.
You can't even use a manual pencil sharpener left-handed.
Why don't more companies think about left-handed consumers? I can understand products that have been around for ages like knives and pencil sharpeners and peelers, etc, being geared for the right-handed. But why is it that more and more frequently I am seeing the mousepad on laptops shifting to the left side of the keyboard? I may use a standard mouse right-handed (except for drawing and occasional photoshopping), but I use the mousepad left-handed. I think a lefty designed the Mac's old round one-button mouse. I loved that thing. Having it, I switched the mouse to the left side and never looked back. Now I buy the cheapest infrared Logitech mice I can find because they are not curved to fit the right hand, so I can switch when I want to be creative.
Why don't 10% of coffee mugs have the design set to face lefties? Why not just put the designs on both sides in the first place?
Why, in a build-it-myself computer desk, can't I change which side the storage area is on?
Why don't designers remember left-handed people when they remember so many other odd groups, whose members often pale in comparison to the number of lefties out there?
One last thing I'd love to have: a refrigerator whose doors were reversed.
Update
Well, it turns out that my mom is right--I can reverse the door on my fridge. On the other hand, I was primarily concerned with refrigerators that have split doors for the freezer and fridge, and not with the fridges where the freezer is at the top or the bottom. I've read somewhere that the "best" design for the fridge is one with the freezer on the bottom--this way you are not constantly bending down to get the things you most commonly use.
At any rate, I choose to replace my frustration with refrigerators with my frustration with coffee makers. The coffee press Jud has is truly ambidextrous, but neither his nor my drip maker is. There are two problems with the coffee maker. First, the water lines are only on one side of the pot itself, which means that if I am making the coffee, I get to choose between not seeing how much water I'm putting in and not being able to pour the water with my left hand (since I have to reach over the pot). This wouldn't be much of a problem unless coffee makers also had the second (and correlated third problem): the caraffe's water lines only face you if you're holding the caraffe with your right hand. A second problem is that eight cups measured on the caraffe isn't eight cups measured in the pot. Why not? It's a mystery.
posted by megan at
10:57 AM
3 Comments:
Ok, I was with you and feeling your pain and frustration until you got to the refrigerator. You can change the direction the doors open on any refrigerator we have ever owned. It is simple and your Daddy can tell you how to do it. The makers design them so they can be reversed as many kitchens require them to be switched. I wager a bet even yours can be changed. :)
By
Anonymous, at 12:06 PM
You can put the freezer on the right and the fridge part on the left?!
By
megan, at 12:16 PM
Now you are on a rant I can agree with!! I am right handed but still face the problem of the water in the coffee pot not measuring the same as the mark on the side showing how many cups you plan to make. In addition , on our pot if you pour the water in the back with your right hand you have to turn the potclockwise to be able to see the water indicator on the side of the coffee maker or lean over to the left while pouring. Perhaps the designer of my coffee maker was left handed (since the indicator is on the left side) but the designer of the pot itself was right handed. As to why the pot and the coffe maker don't indicate the same amount of water...your guess is as good as mine. I also find it frustrating that if you want to brew 6 cups of coffee you had better put water in for 7...who would think a coffee filter and grounds would absorb that much water!
By
Anonymous, at 10:54 AM
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