Amazon's "Add to Wishlist" button
I’ve just recently discovered how handy the wishlists at Amazon can be. I’ve got a long list going now full of design and HCI books. For me, it’s a great way to remember what’s up next on my reading list.
I also really like that they allow you to assign a priority to the items. Since I can’t just buy every book I want, it helps me remember which ones deserve my attention first. So I’m a big fan of the wishlists.
But there are a few things that bug me. First, the “Add to Wishlist” button. It’s in a good place. Its purpose is clear. But I can’t assign a priority without digging down to my list (which is not the next page, as you would expect, but is another link away). Wouldn’t it be great if the button’s dropdown let me pick a priority?
The dropdown could really be simplified, too. Since you can create a new list at the bottom, why have sections for lists that don’t exist? You could use the space you’d save to let me pick the priority!
Also, what if we worked a little Ajaxy magic with this button, so that I didn’t have to leave the page to add the item to my wishlist? For me it’s already a memorized gesture: click “Add to Wishlist” then click the back button.
One last thing. Wouldn’t it be great if this button were greyed out if the item is already on my list? I hate clicking through just to get an error because I already put an item on the list. Read More
Shaving
The Philips with its bothersome button and the Remington without.
Last year I bought a new electric shaver. My old shaver was showing its age, and replacement blades weren’t much cheaper than buying the whole shaver. So I traded in my trusty Remington shaver for a new Philips one.
And the Philips one works fine. Mostly. But it’s got this little button on the front of it to open it for cleaning (see shaver on the left).
The problem is that of the six thousand times that button has been pressed, I only wanted to open the shaver a handful of times. I toss it in my bag to head out on a trip, and when I open the bag again it’s opened up and spilled its contents. I frequently bump it while I’m shaving, too. It makes a sort of confused noise and I have to snap it back together and continue the job.
The Remington (right side) had no such button. The top piece just snapped on. I can’t think of a single inadvertent opening. A job well done.
Bottom line: it may look cool, but the button stinks. Next time I’ll shop around for a shaver sans button. Read More »