

Please Pull The Pin - there
http://lenovoblogs.com/designmatters/?p=3870

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chaosmachine
Make it significantly longer and bright orange. Print the word "REMOVE" in
large black letters on it.

If that doesn't work, put a static-sticker right on the screen that says
"REMOVE ORANGE TAG ON BACK BEFORE USING" with a little diagram.

Can I get a job as a Lonovo designer now? :)

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blasdel
Then that text has to be localized.

The real trick would be to have a very long piece of wide bright orange
polypropylene ribbon attached to the pull-ring on the pin. Long enough that
you'd want instinctively to pull it out so that it won't be in your way, long
enough that you can't just tuck it in anywhere and pretend that it's supposed
to be there. Just out-ugly the idiots.

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awa
I would imagine they would be localizing the manuals a bit (OSD usually are
not that simple), adding one more line there shouldn't hurt.

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jsz0
Other brands of monitors I've used (Samsung, Dell) simply have an adjustment
system that doesn't require a locking pin. The best solution is probably to
just move away from that design which might be mechanically valid but doesn't
seem to be obvious to the consumer. Other companies ship the base not attached
to the display which requires more user setup but is also more obvious. I
can't really think of any plus sides to using the pin at all. Ignoring that
and looking at the problem objectively I'd guess most people don't need a
manual or even a "quick start" guide to connect a monitor and completely
ignore it. Just put a big 8x11 sized sheet of paper over the front of the
display that simply says "READ FIRST: REMOVE BLUE PIN" so it's impossible to
ignore. Even if you quickly glance at it while ripping into the packaging you
have time to process the information without the added clutter of teaching
people how to plugin a power cable or press the ON button.

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ojbyrne
Minor related complaint. Make it so the pin, when detached, is still tethered
to the monitor base. I have a monitor with this feature, and I've moved twice
since I got it (and removed, then lost the pin). The first time the box had an
unnatural bulge. The second time I just said screw it, and wrapped the monitor
in a blanket.

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rriepe
Attach a coupon to the pin that they can apply to future purchases.

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jrockway
I got a Samsung monitor at work the other day. It had this pin, which is not
something I was aware of before (my Dell 24" monitor didn't have one). Anyway,
it had a big huge sticky-tape note on it, and one on the front asking you to
remove it before use. It was so effective that I didn't even think about it.

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mixmax
Attach the pin to the package with a piece of wire or thread. When the happy
customer pulls out his new monitor the pin will automatically fall out. Easy.

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mhb
That doesn't address the surprising and undesirable "sproing" the customer
will experience.

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joshu
really? they can't figure out any way to get people to remove the item
reliably?

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jrockway
I have visited a number of homes in Japan where the peel-off plastic to
protect displays from shipping is still installed. It even says, in Japanese,
"REMOVE". The consensus seems to be that it won't be eligible for warranty
repair if you remove that. (I doubt the truth of this statement.)

So anyway, people are weird. That's why they don't remove pins from monitors,
or film on displays to protect them during packing and shipping.

~~~
awa
The idea behind is to protect the screens from dust and other issues... many
people buy a screen protector for iPhone, can't these guys keep the one which
came with the display for free.

~~~
jrockway
I was thinking the same thing. Instead of shipping a disposable one, just pay
the $0.000001 more for a "permanent" one.

And btw, by LCD I mean things like LCD clocks, the display of a stereo, etc.
Things like phones are totally different.

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bmelton
I can't claim credit for the idea, but I think that the 'paper tag' (like you
might find on clothing in a store) with the appropriate instruction.

It's cheap, it will annoy people until they remove it, and it's fairly
obviously a sign that it needs removing.

