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Just Terrible UI Design: This Freezer Control Dial
High stakes for an ice cream shop
Shop owner Aaron Cohen runs Gracie's Ice Cream, located in Somerville, Massachusetts. Cohen recently posted this photo to the shop's Instagram with the following query:
"Imagine you own an ice cream shop and the thermostat on your dipping cabinet, which is the freezer ice cream is dipped (scooped) out of, is set to 4, which is too warm, and you want to make the freezer colder. Are you setting this dial to 3 or to 5 to make the freezer colder? I asked the Gracie's followers on Instagram earlier this year and there was lots of discussion."
First off, if you own an ice cream shop, the stakes are high for this seemingly simple problem. Set it to warmer when you were shooting for colder, and you risk ruining an entire batch of product.
Secondly, what terrible, terrible design, as evinced by the confusion in the comments. Some people interpret the arrow to mean, "Turn the dial in this direction to make it colder." Others interpret it as, "The arrow points in the direction of colder numbers."
Additionally, temperature is something that we measure using numbers. Higher numbers mean higher temperature. So which is it here?
To top it all off, there's not even a stationary indicator pointing to a number, confirming what number it's actually set to. I guess we're meant to assume 12 o'clock is the target point.
I think this could've been solved a million different ways. A blue-to-red gradient would've been elegant, but perhaps too pricey to manufacture (two colors rather than one). Use of icons like snowflakes or ice cubes, one on one end, three on the other. Or even just placing the words "cold" on one end and "colder" on the other.
How would you have solved it?
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Comments
What is clear to me is that this is confusing and that I am surprised at the number of people so confident in their interpretation.
When in doubt, you can always turn it until you hear the compressor click on or off. Then you will know which way is which.
How about just...temperature indicators? Most people with an industrial freezer probably want it set to a certain temperature, not just some value on an arbitrary and unknown scale.
There should be a clear arrow mold at the very top in contrasting color like Red/Blue/NEON that even lights up indicating what value you are on.
Then the values should go from 1 to 7(or 11) where 1 is a warmest value and 7 is the coldest.
Though what would be more informative is actually degrees. Is it better to know the Ice Cream is being stored at level 4 or -15 degrees?
Or scrap all that. Turn to digital and set the temp to the value they actually want. I think that's the real endgame. Set the temp to a value best for the Icecream. That way if they got a new machine, they don't have to worry that level 4 is the same from machine to machine.
Very similar issue with labeling on the kitchen tap/faucet in a rental cottage I stayed at this winter.
It wasn't this brand, and it had red/blue dots in place of the H/C markings, but (I assume) it works the same- rotate the handle toward/away from you to control the temperature and pivot the handle outward to control the flow. But for 'hot', do you align the H with the outlet at the top, or turn the handle counter-clockwise in the direction of the H? Almost less confusing if it's not labeled and you just have to figure it out for yourself...
Flight Attendant to Cockpit: "Turn up the A/C, please."
I've experienced the same in these days of Teams.
It's completely clear to me: turn clock wise to increase the freezing temperature. Nothing confusing about this. As long as you are aware that you are dealing with a ice making machine and not with a room thermostat.
If the arrow is there to say 'turn this way to get colder' then why are the numbers even there? They would serve no purpose. Clearly, the arrow is to be taken in context with the numbers and is telling us which numbers are colder.
There's clearly an arrow on the knob indicating to turn the knob clockwise for colder and there appears to be a partially obscured marking near the 4....a better photo would be useful.
Except this could also be read as the arrow indicating that lower numbers are colder, which would make sense to many people because lower temperatures are... lower numbers.