Subject:
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Re: Yet Another Episode 1 Question
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 19 Apr 2000 17:03:39 GMT
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Viewed:
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1125 times
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Steve Bliss wrote:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Tom Stangl mentioned:
>
> > albino left-handed atheists who live in Antarctica
>
> Side rant, triggered by Tom's casual example, but not having much
> relevance to the current thread (hey, this is .o-t):
>
> As I understand, there used to be prejudice against left-handed people.
> Even until fairly recently; teachers and parents would try to 'switch'
> left-handed students to be right-handed.
BINGO - my teachers tried to force me to write right-handed. They luckily
gave up after a while, because my handwriting is bad enough left-handed,
right-handed I might as well be scrawling Sanscrit.
> I've never experienced any
> kind of negative prejudice because I'm left-handed, and I don't
> seriously expect I ever will.
Well, that's because <groaner> "we 10%" are the only ones in our right
minds</groaner>
> But why are product developers and marketers so dense that they're
> willing to tick off 10% of their market on product usability issues?
Good question. Luckily, I am mostly ambidextrous - I only write and bat
left-handed, just about anything else I can do with both (though I use
scissors with much better control in my left hand).
> Let me tell you my story. The other night, I needed to buy some
> dishsoap from the store (this is an unusual occurrence, we usually get
> Dish Drops by the gallon at the employee store). I noticed that several
> of the leading brands were using the same molds for their bottles; a
> variation of the classic dishsoap bottle, shortened and somewhat
> squat-looking. The important thing is there are corrugated 'swoosh'
> shapes around the neck. I grabbed my favorite brand, paid, and went
> home to work on a sink full of dishes.
>
> Now, it seems the 'swoosh' imprints on these bottles are more than
> decorative, they're also hand-grips. And they work great--if you are
> holding the bottle in your right hand. In my right hand, the bottle sat
> very nicely, I could easily grip and squeeze the bottle, it was very
> comfortable and easy. In my left hand, I got none of the benefit from
> the swooshes. If anything, the bottle was somewhat less comfortable to
> hold and use than a plain bottle, because my digits were crossing the
> shape of the bottle, instead of going with it. Kind of like trying to
> use right-handed sewing scissors, except not as extreme. :(
>
> Now, why am I going on about a minor detail of a household product?
> Practically speaking, the swooshes made little difference in my use of
> the product. But the more dishes I washed, the more times I used the
> bottle (hey, it was a big pile of dishes!), the more it bothered me.
> The impression I got from that little bottle of dishsoap was that the
> people behind the product didn't give a rip about me. So why should I
> give a rip about them? More importantly, why should I *want* to buy
> their product?
>
> Stupid product developers. Why do they do something that makes little
> difference to 90% of their market, and can potentially steam the other
> 10%?
>
> Steve
--
| Tom Stangl, Technical Support Netscape Communications Corp
| Please do not associate my personal views with my employer
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Yet Another Episode 1 Question
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| In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Tom Stangl mentioned: (...) Side rant, triggered by Tom's casual example, but not having much relevance to the current thread (hey, this is .o-t): As I understand, there used to be prejudice against left-handed people. (...) (26 years ago, 18-Apr-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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