Thursday, April 17, 2008

The perils of form over function

In these days of sleek and streamlined electronics, it's easy to forget that looks aren't everything. Besides recent studies showing people are more forgiving of pretty tech even when it doesn't work as well, there are also some sound practical reasons to look beyond looks when evaluating a service or device. Here's a link to a video hosted by the New Yorker. It's time-lapsed footage of a man who spent a whopping 31 hours trapped in a Manhattan elevator. There was no built-in phone, and no panic button, so he couldn't call for help. Being the New Yorker, the magazine set the footage to nice, soothing piano music. The end result is a terrifying video of this man's ordeal. Just one more reminder that holding form over function, while quite common in the tech world, can have a real downside!

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