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22 And Counting
30 minutes to kill before the embassy opens... Omotesando window shopping.
Stripped down cordless phone from + - 0. Despite its functional minimalism there are still 22 visible buttons, including separate on / off. Design trade offs: desire for symmetry vs. visible UI complexity vs. desire to map 1 function to 1 button?
Are separate on / off buttons easier or more satifying than combined in one button?
Writing from Omotesando | October 19, 2005 | Permalink
Comments
For me, On and Off aren't separate functions at all, and dividing the two seems counterintuitive, especially if the screen responds appropriately to its state. Nearly everything I can think of uses a single button/switch/toggle.
Aside from there being too many buttons to be pretty, my design critique would be that the buttons are too prominent. When I look at the phone, I see a bunch of buttons rather than a phone. I would personally try to convey the feeling of functions rather than round spots. My 60-second Photoshop version: http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/637/phoneedit0hb.jpg
But then, I'm not a famous and successful designer!
Posted by: Andrew at October 19, 2005 9:21 PM
i think separate buttons for on/ off are a good thing. because it is not a button similar to a light switch.
Posted by: rogier at December 26, 2005 4:36 AM