One of my favorite themes in the blog is natural design, and as Norman notes, this includes the psychology of everyday things (even things not involving information technology). That even includes things like trying to find things on my shopping list at WalMart. It often surprises me how often I'll find myself befuddled in trying to find things, based on association, other store item placement, etc. It's not just me; there have been other shoppers asking me. I think at the time WalMart had things like trash bags and paper products in a neighboring set of aisles in the back of my aisles, not in the grocery aisles themselves. I've run into issues at various times finding honey (not in the sugar/sweetener aisle), lemon juice, powdered sugar-free beverages, etc. Another time I needed to buy a ream of paper for my printer (I don't use my printer daily). Think I could find paper in the printer section? Nope. (Office supplies. I'm not saying that's unreasonable, but they didn't have printers in office supplies; I would have placed some reams in the printer section if for no other reason than add-on sales in buying a printer.)
I've been relatively lucky to be free of colds and the flu for most of my life; I've rarely had runny noses, etc. It suddenly struck me the other day I don't even have handkerchiefs in my dresser. A few weeks back, of all things in southern Arizona, I caught a nasty, vicious cold and repeated coughing with some flu symptoms; it's possible I caught it from co-workers or maybe it had to do going from cold server rooms to a hot sun The worst was over probably over a weekend, but the cough and runny nose dragged on for 2-3 weeks. (I just realized I've only had an occasional cough this week. My boss had suggested trying honey. The coughing may have run its course, so I'm not sure a teaspoon of honey a day cured me.)
So I went to WalMart with the idea of buying some tissues. (I also tried to find handkerchiefs but if they stock them, I couldn't find any.) So I'm thinking they stock some along with ears, nose, and throat medications and accessories: I mean, you can find baby wipes, acne pads, tampons, etc. Again, if you are selling products for nasal decongestant and cough syrup, why not tissues? They sold them, of course; I found them in the paper products aisle (next to the paper towels, of course). Let's just say if I was a store manager, I would handle things differently.
On a separate note, I recently had to replace my smartphone. Granted, I had encrypted the phone, but I've unlocked my phone literally hundred of times without incident. I hadn't used my phone for a few days (I have an iPhone work phone), and when I went to use the phone again, it rejected my password. I went to factory reset the phone, but the end result was the same decryption password challenge, which again it rejected. I went to my mobile carrier; it boiled down to my cellphone was no longer under warranty and if factory reset didn't work, I was out of luck: buy a replacement phone.
To be honest, the battery sucked on the old phone; I almost never used it and the battery would need to be recharged every few hours. My workphone goes for days without a recharge. However, I had no desire to spend hundreds on a smartphone. I settled for a low-end Samsung model
This provided me with an interesting experiment of testing the usability of a new cellphone. I will often something like a new minor kitchen appliance by how long it takes for me to use it practically; the learnability and intuitive nature of its initial use. Little did I know the decision would be forced on me. The phone came with its battery packaged separately. No real "quick start" guide, e.g., how to insert the battery, etc. I knew I had to pry off the back the phone; it didn't take long to figure it out. Next, it was fairly easy to figure out where to insert the battery, but there were no visual cues on how to mount the battery (e.g., side and direction). Sometimes, e.g., with credit card insertions, you get tactile feedback on proper insertion. I inferred it had to be mounted a certain way and was relieved when I plugged the USB charger/converter in to see the phone register a charging icon.
Incidentally, I discovered a battery-saving mode and I can go days without a charge on light call volume. Another big plus over the prior phone: I am not crazy about tiny smartphone keyboards, which I all too frequently fat-finger (even the iPhone). But the Samsung keyboards, in my experience, easily handle things like my passwords with my thick fingers.
