Previous page Turn page Next page

There's coffee on your nose

Commuter Cup This commuter mug has some nice features. It is well-insulated, so the coffee really stays hot. Also, the cup fits into the cup holders in the car.

It does have one fairly annoying feature though. There is a hinged lid on top (shown in the open position) with a plug that seals the hole that the coffee comes through. The plug (see arrow) on the hinged lid has a small indentation in which a few drops of coffee usually remain. When I tip the cup to drink from it, the plug touches the bridge of my nose. The few drops of coffee in the indentation run out and stick to my nose! My nose really isn't that big, either.

Design suggestion

I suspect that the designers of this cup are unaware of this problem because they haven't observed people with different nose shapes and sizes using this cup. It is important to test designs on a representative sampling of potential users. There is a great deal of truth in the old saying "People are all basically the same, but the difference there is makes all the difference in the world!"

Table of contents

Home page

  Previous page Turn page Next page

Copyright © Michael J. Darnell 1996-2010. All rights reserved.