A Note To Product Designers

This is something that has been on people's minds lately.
It has to do with font size, and designing products for usability, function.....not just cool n groovy.
Today, in the shower, I reached for shampoo, and since I normally wear glasses.....But not in the shower......I grabbed what is suspect was conditioner.
There are tons of bottles collecting in our showers, I don't know every product, I bought some, others have bought some, and I don't really even care a whole lot. I just want a clean scalp, step 1, then I want to condition my hair, step 2.
So today I think, and again, not sure because I couldn't read the label, I started with something goopy, and not frothy, and that was probably conditioner. I followed with something frothy, and not goopy, so I am pretty sure I reversed the order of business.
But another way I know, is because my hair looks awful. And stiff. And dry.

So why do fonts have to be read with an electron microscope? According to Lighthouse International, approximately 19 million persons age 18 and over report having trouble seeing, and wear glasses.
So when all these people are not wearing their glasses, they can't read labels, unless the font is large and clear.

• Like when they are showering. They can't read grooming product labels.
• Like when they finish swimming. Sunblock.
• Like when they just wake up. Prescription medication.

Actually, Deborah Adler did redesign prescription labels, for this very purpose. As her master's thesis at the School for Visual Arts, she changed how this important information is shown. The doctor's name is no longer at the top. Now the name of the medication, and the dosage is large, bold, at the top.
Design saves lives. Now what about my hair?

Something's In The Air

You know how those strong household cleansers kind of hurt your nose and sinuses after you do a good scrub? Well, it seems that all is not well in the clean machine.
A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels.
The researcher, Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs, chose not to disclose the names of the common products, but the results were alarming.
"I was surprised by both the number and the potential toxicity of the chemicals that were found," Steinemann said. Chemicals included acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish remover; limonene, a molecule with a citrus scent; as well as acetaldehyde, chloromethane and 1,4-dioxane.
Yikes!