
Good idea bad implementation crosstalk - luu
https://flak.tedunangst.com/post/good-idea-bad-implementation-crosstalk
======
ken
> Allowing the user to control the noise cancelling profile on a pair of
> wireless headphones with a phone app instead of further cluttering the
> headphones themselves is a good idea.

Alternatively: allowing the user to control the noise cancellation on a pair
of headphones from the headphones themselves instead of further cluttering the
user's phone is a good idea.

~~~
faho
The physical space available on headphones for buttons and such is quite
limited tho, and adding a screen is probably prohibitively expensive.

~~~
hinkley
Two dials. All you need are two dials. If you can’t find space for that on
headphones then you should consult a physician.

My friend has a pair. On one can is the speaker volume, on the other is the
noise cancelling. So effectively one volume knob for your music, and one for
the outside world. It’s dead simple and sensible.

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bentcorner
The subreddit GTBAE is a fun place to find more of these - instances where
people had the right idea but went about it the wrong way. (And it also has
it's inverse ATBGE where people had the wrong idea and executed flawlessly).

~~~
gnulinux
Tangential: the opposite of that sub is r/ATBGE which is about things that
aren't well thought out (i.e. too dumb, offensive, trashy etc) but executed
really well.

~~~
maxerickson
Stuff posted to r/ATBGE is often neither. The occasional gem though.

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dasyatidprime
… because in many cases, whoever gets there first with the wrong solution
makes the social default be to continue using that, indefinitely, instead of
developing something else which people will hesitate to switch to instead?

The rapidity of settlement of common knowledge in Internet time breaks a lot
of the natural frictional mitigations, too.

“Oh, the path dependence is real” (said in the tone of a gaming commentator).

------
nathcd
Does anybody know of someplace online (forum, blog, whatever) where sensibly-
designed smart-home devices/sensors are curated? A la "/r/buyitforlife for
unclouded smart devices", or something.

~~~
detaro
communities around open-source home automation software tend to have some of
that, at least for "can run offline" and "has a reasonable open way of
accessing it". E.g. the communities around home assistant:
[https://old.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/](https://old.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/)
and [https://community.home-assistant.io/](https://community.home-
assistant.io/)

------
aschatten
> Allowing the user to control the noise cancelling profile on a pair of
> wireless headphones with a phone app instead of further cluttering the
> headphones themselves is a good idea.

Bad idea. UI complexity should be proportional to the product use and
customization complexity. If there are 3 basic levels for noise cancelling,
then mechanical slider will suffice. If production quality is good it will
last. I don't want to pull up my phone to perform such a mundane and simple
task. Leave smart phone apps for more detailed and sophisticated
configuration, which is probably not needed at all for such a device as noise
cancelling headphones.

~~~
maxerickson
Is changing the noise cancellation profile on a pair of headphones a mundane
task?

I'm wondering specifically about it being common. I would expect to do it
rarely and be pleased if "more" and "less" weren't the only options.

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tmaly
Over engineering and not talking to customers is really at the crux of this
post.

On the meat thermometer, I bought an instant thermometer last year for $12.
Best money I ever spent. The old fashion mechanical ones I use to leave in a
roast are not that great. I use them to show me approximate temps, but I like
to get a real temp with the instant thermometer. Works great on the grill also
to ensure you don't over do the steaks.

~~~
elihu
> Over engineering and not talking to customers is really at the crux of this
> post.

Is it? I expect that a substantial portion of unnecessarily complicated IoT
devices aren't really about pleasing the person who buys the device, but
rather about establishing a foothold in someone's house to achieve some other
business objective.

For instance, it's hard to find a plain TV these days that doesn't have a
network connection. Maybe dumb TVs don't sell, but it's also possible that
smart TVs are actually cheaper to make because the "smart" part is subsidized
by whoever stands to make the most money from its pre-installed apps.

------
kbenson
> Sometimes this phenomenon even seeps into software development where
> somebody will solve a problem, but uses the wrong solution, and we hate it.

I see what you did there. "Sometimes". :)

