Home & Household Devices
Real-world frictions with household appliances and devices. They include washing machines, refrigerators, microwaves, water purifiers, air conditioners and water heaters that hide what is happening inside.
19 frictions
- A Boil-Over Can Make an Induction Cooktop's Touch Controls Stop Responding When Control Is Needed Most FJ-000133
- Inverter Batteries Give No Clear Warning When Water Needs Topping Up FJ-000135
- Pedestal Fans Can Slip Down Because Height Depends on a Hand-Tightened Collar FJ-000136
- Water Purifier Filter Warnings Leave Households Unsure What Has Happened and What to Do Next FJ-000141
- Small Spectacle Failures Can Disrupt Daily Life, and Everyday Eyewear Remains Limited in Adapting to the Wearer FJ-000143
- Washing Machine Programmes and Symbols Can Be Hard to Match to a Simple Everyday Task FJ-000144
- Kitchen Mixer Grinders Protect Themselves but Leave the User to Work Out What Happened and How to Recover FJ-000155
- Cordless Trimmers Lose Cutting Performance Before the User Knows Why FJ-000158
- Analogue Watches Hide Conditions Such as Date-Change Limits, AM/PM State, and Ageing Seals, so Users Learn by Making Mistakes FJ-000159
- Refrigerators Hide Whether They Are Really Keeping Food Cold, and Leave Users to Interpret Power Cuts, Frost, and Settings FJ-000167
- Microwave Ovens Control Time and Power Precisely but Do Not Tell Users Whether Food Is Hot Enough or What an Odd Event Means FJ-000168
- Dishwashers Automate Washing but Leave Users to Prevent and Diagnose Hidden Problems Such as Clogs, Detergent Release, Hard Water, and Drainage FJ-000169
- Vacuum Cleaners Lose Suction or Stop for Hidden Reasons, Leaving the Owner to Find the Blockage, Filter, or Tangled Brush FJ-000170
- Air Conditioners Give Only Symptoms Such as Poor Cooling, Water Leaks, and Odours, Leaving Owners to Work Out Causes and Judge Servicing FJ-000171
- Storage Water Heaters Hide Their Heating, Scaling, Safety, and Water Conditions From the Person Using Them FJ-000172
- Chest Freezers Preserve Food but Leave Users to Handle Stuck Lids, Hard-to-Reach Stock, Unclear Temperature, and Hidden Maintenance FJ-000173
- Kitchen Chimneys Leave Users to Control Them With Greasy Hands, Clean Sharp Filters, and Guess at Hidden Grease and Ducting Problems FJ-000175
- Ceiling Fan Regulators Can Fail to Give the Airflow People Need, and Speed Faults Are Hard to Trace to the Regulator or the Fan FJ-000195
- Clothes Irons Can Permanently Damage Fabric After a Brief Distraction or Wrong Heat Setting, and Do Not Clearly Show Residual Heat FJ-000204