So Luca got an electronic piano for Christmas. It’s a lovely present and he was all over it in an instant.
Unfortunately it has flaws that will in all probability preventing him getting the practise he needs to becoming a competent pianist. Who can I blame? The designer.
As with most digital products the interface is obscure. A series of multi-functional buttons encrypt its hundreds, if not thousands of instruments, effects, beats and rhythms. I can live with that and look forward to that moment 5 Christmases from now when we will stumble upon something that will make us say, cool I did not know it did that!
On the left-hand side of the piano there is a big yellow button. It is the one button with a clear purpose, the on/off switch. If that’s all it did then happy days, but no happy days. Every time the piano springs into action it starts at maximum volume.
Well, I admit it depends on your perspective. A 2 year old will argue strongly that a louder piano is a better piano. Why would you want to make it quieter daddy?
Infants are stubbornly unidirectional in this respect, bigger, bigger, louder, louder, louder. Presumably making things quieter would be seen as growing the wrong way.
As an already grown being I want to protect my quiet space, but I am wary that I need to give him a chance to prove himself, I still want the kid to have fun after all.
But wait, where did the designer choose to put the volume control? Right next to the big yellow on/off switch of course
Now Luca is no observational slouch nor is he oblivious to cause and affect.
Luca: piano on
Me: volume down
Luca: piano off, piano on
Me: volume down
Luca: piano off, piano on
Me: volume down
Luca: piano off, piano on
And so it goes on, not helped by the audible feedback the designer thought the machine needed to emit during the 10 button presses from loud to quiet. That’s right, the designer actually built in a security system to alert the child to the actions of a reasonable adult!
A car does not start at 70 mph, a kettle does not start at 100C, so just why should a piano start at maximum volume?