Everyday Usability 9

Yankees - Redsox. Democrats - Republicans. French - British. Google - Apple. They find themselves in perpetual disagreement; however, I'm sure there is one topic on which no one will disagree:

Cookies!

Cookies? Sure! No man should be denied a good cookie, which is the inspiration for this week's Everyday Usability picture.

If it isn't clear, the left tab says "Lift" and the right tab says "Hold". How awesome!? The creators of this container actually instruct the eager eaters on how to get to their cookies more quickly! Well, almost...

Of course when dealing with cookies, there are those so eager that they fail to notice the simple-yet-brilliant instructions. Exhibit A: me! As you may see, there is a split in the plastic on the top cover between the tabs because of my excitement, and subsequent ignorance to the clever labels. (In my defense, the caterer taped the box, decreasing the effectiveness of the "lift" and "hold" labels. And then I ask, "Why, if this package was so well designed, is tape necessary?" I digress...).

Many device manufacturers are now laser etching some of their labeling information directly onto the product in an attempt to maintain the clarity and permanency of the labels. Quite the nice, yet simple, innovation to eliminate sticker-based labeling.

- RTK