Bad User Interface: Showers

This is the standard shower control in many gyms and hotels:

Shower Control

This is about the worst controller their ever could be. A simple person might look at this and think, hmm… the big pointy thing is pointing to hot. It must be very hot! No, simple person, this setting means “Off.: This shower is so special, its pointer does not work like every other big pointer in the entire world that points towards something. No, this pointer, points away! It is not like a clock, or a highway exit sign, or a mouse pointer, or a one way sign. It is special! Why? I haven’t the least idea.

Oh, and for a bonus there is no way to adjust water pressure.

2 thoughts on “Bad User Interface: Showers”

  1. The ideal interface would be a joystick. Vertical is power, horizontal is hot. The problem is that plumbing is not software, joysticks don’t fit the mechanics right.

    It won’t be long until it’s all digital. You’ll just walk in the shower, announce your name, and it will start right up with your pre-approved settings.

  2. I hate most shower interfaces. They are a never-ending torture of trying to figure out how the damn thing works while it sprays arctic water on your naked body. Remember the one in Dad’s shower? I hated that thing so much. Nothing wrong with the old 2-faucet system. It’s perfect – a little hot, a little cold, the mix is just right. Ideal!

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