When product design hurts the customer experience

I was in the lobby of the Marriott City Center in Minneapolis this afternoon, and I was thirsty; desperately in search of drinking water.  And there were two other people on the same mission. Over by the wall stood a four-foot high all-black object.  I walked past it twice while looking for water.  The third time, I noticed a small tap on the front.  
Yeah, it was the damned water cooler, without a sign, and without any visible indication of water.  I was frustrated that I had walked past it twice.  And so were those other two people.

 

The manufacturer of the water cooler was intent on enhancing the customer experience through creative design.  But in our case, it didn't work.  This was a water cooler in a public place, where "customers" were more concerned about simply finding drinking water, than they were about having their lives enriched by innovative design. 

 

The cool design caused frustration.

 

When designing a product, think about who's going to use the product, and under what circumstances.  

 

A famous expression in journalism is "Don't bury the lead."  That simply means that the headline shouldn't hide the story.  Instead, the headline should make it clear what  the story is about, without the reader having to go several paragraphs deep to figure it out.  The same can be said about water coolers in public places:  the design shouldn't hide the water.

 

Do your product designs and packaging add to the customer experience, or detract from it?