R.T.G.D.M?

R.T.G.D.M is an acronym that stands for--"Read The God-Damned Manual", a complaint attributed to frustrated designers and engineers of perplexing products, who are puzzled by users' helplessness.

The difference between an aircraft and a home kitchen, besides the fact that training is needed to operate the first, is that from a pure experience perspective, the kitchen is associated in many cultures with a positive and comforting atmosphere that people cherish. This is why terms such as "Mom's Cooking", "Homemade", "Home Cooked Meals", are used for advertising restaurant chains, food products, and even kitchen appliances that are mass-manufactured. The promise is to reproduce a cherished homey experience.

Given that the kitchen is also the most dangerous room in the home, usability testing of kitchen appliances helps reduce the risk of accidents due to user-error caused by poorly conceived interactions.

Consider the microwave oven. You probably have one in your kitchen. There is a...