DiamondHelp

Ordinary people already have great difficulty using the advanced features of digitally enhanced household products, and the problem is getting worse as more features are continually being added. Furthermore, this usability problem cannot be solved using only the tiny displays and controls typically found on home appliances.

By making it possible for people to actually use more of the new features of digitally-enhanced home products, DiamondHelp could postpone a “good” crisis in the marketplace which forced manufacturers to stop adding features unless they were really necessary.

In particular, some appliance designers have started to call for “radically simple” designs, i.e., getting rid of all “features”. However, this extreme position is not viable. For example, it is not acceptable to say that - since programming a thermostat is too complicated - you just shouldn’t do it. The programming features of a thermostat are extremely valuable for saving energy. In general, even though some of the feature explosion in home appliances is clearly superfluous, there are many features which, like thermostat programming, are inherently complex, but also quite valuable.

DiamondHelp in sense allows us to have it both ways, i.e., to keep the everyday use of the appliance simple, while still having well-supported access to the occasionally used complex features.