How Not to Design a Microwave

Re:How Not to Design a Microwave by bcoates on Sunday January 07, 2018 @04:41AM (#16090096)

I would put up with a hieroglyphic based UI ten times weirder than the one depicted if it meant the microwave didn't beep.

Seriously, what is it with embedded digital electronics designers and beeping? Nothing else has a gratuitous noisemaker. I swear if the home refrigerator was invented after the cheap piezo buzzer it would emit an ear-piercing bleep every time the door opened, or maybe when the compressor cycled on or off.

Is there some sort of strange subsidy or tax consequence so that adding a beeper has negative net cost?

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Re:How Not to Design a Microwave by jgtrosh on Sunday January 07, 2018 @04:54AM (#16090133)

I'm sure that without that feedback mistakes can happen that might be blamed on UI (didn't press the start/reheat/&c. button all the way through). Similar thought process to most touchscreen keyboards which have feedback (sound or haptic) by default because it's probably going to be a hurdle for users. Reminds me of the first time I installed a Linux distro which didn't disable the system beep (Debian w/o X)… surprising how this vastly and immediately changes UX. It's actually an interesting way to practice making fewer mistakes but it's a good thing that no UI relies on system beep any more.

A big ol' beep/nobeep switch on ovens would be a nice thing.

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Re:How Not to Design a Microwave by napsterbr on Sunday January 07, 2018 @04:49AM (#16090123)

I feel you. My microwave oven makes 4 lousy beeps once it's done... And will be more than happy to repeat those 4 beeps every 30 seconds until you open the damn door

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Re:How Not to Design a Microwave by SAI_Peregrinus on Sunday January 07, 2018 @11:10AM (#16091303)

I opened my microwave up and desoldered the peizo buzzer. Glorious silence.

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