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KitchenAid's over-complicated toaster
You think that Sony alarm clock was bad? A friend wrote in about this KitchenAid toaster:
In the old days, a toaster was simple: put the bread in, and pull down the lever. That's all. The toast would pop up when it was done.
After decades of product devolution, we have this toaster:
You have to lower the bread by pushing down the lever, selecting the number for toasting, then turning the knob (I always forget this step). When it's done, the toaster beeps, then you have the raise the lever to get the toast out.
Old way: pull lever.
New way: pull lever, select number, turn knob, raise lever.
Think of the needless over-engineering it must have taken to create such a complex product. A toaster is a simple product; why not make it simple? Why are productivity tools too complex? Why are alarm clocks too complex?
This isn't an idle question. The more time designers spend over-complicating things, the less time they have to work on genuinely important problems.
Actually, in this case I think it was a case not exactly of over-engineering, but of a disconnect between "feature design" and the separate engineering implementation.
The "design" and the mechanical "implementation" of the traditional pop-up toaster are closely related. In fact I wouldn't be suprised if there was no disconnected "design" phase, and instead the pop-up concept was simply invented by a mechanical engineer who realized that it was possible, and would be a "design" benefit.
It could also be a sign of the decline of clever mechanical engineering, and the rising dominence of discrete, modular electronic technology dominating everything.
The spring-loaded pop up toaster is a carefully integrated machine. I bet the new toaster is basically electronic. All the functions you describe are all completely seperate independent steps-- selecting the toast level, "start toasting", the electronic beep signal, and the mechanical toast elevator.
ou see the same thing in software with poor user interaction.
Small appliances in general have been a frustration in recent years. Not wanting high-end over complicated products we've opted for low-end products. They do not work properly.
A replacement of the same brand of can opener spits all over the counter when comleting the cut. We have bought 4 different coffee makers over the past year. One konked out, one had a gap above the handle that spewed hot steam, another's 2-hour auto shutoff worked for the first brew but when shut off and a new brew started it just kept on going and going . . The latest is more costly and so far OK but we have our fingers crossed. The new water filter has a sleeker design but harder to fill and the new little flap sometimes sticks and forces water out the sides.
They would just keep with the same designs but that isn't so profitable.