Designing a Tool Properly

[Philip Coates]

I have a number of paper dictionaries plus internet access. But despite frequent curiosity about words or usage or etymology I don't use any of them very often. If one has a good vocabulary and a lot of word knowledge and can figure out most meanings from the context, dictionary use is rare. And I don't want to fire up the computer for one word every ten or fifty pages of reading. I will seldom want to heft and page through the big thick unabridged dictionary just for a minor lookup of something that is not essential to understanding what I'm reading. Plus, since it has infrequent use, it is not handy or nearby. And the thinner and lighter bedside cheap dictionaries seldom have the word I want or enough detail or examples or word origin.

But since I got an electronic dictionary, I use it almost daily. More than I've ever used a dictionary in my life. Even for words I know, just to be more precise, see related concepts, etc.

There are competing manufacturers and I had to do a fairly intense research project to find one that does everything right. To me this is an example of how to perfectly design a gadget (something quite rare - I've purchased a lot of junk in my life):

1. portability: pocket size, fits on nightstand, weighs almost nothing

2. comprehensive: based on entire contents of the huge Oxford American Dictionary (based on and spun off from the OED), plus the matching thesaurus, and the top book (Garner's) on usage - so you can find almost any word you might be looking for. plus a mini-encyclopedia.

3. logical retrieval: all the different senses of each word, plus examples, plus ordered by most frequent meaning and use (not by chronology or 'root').

4. useful display: big screen, searches and presents candidate words as you type the first letters, toggle between summary format of first line of each word sense or expanded format, ability to search for words within a meaning and then trace back your search

5. memory: turn it on and its where you left it, stores a 'history' of your previous searches so you can go back and review words you looked for yesterday or last week.

6. instant on / instant off.

7. protective clamshell (like a well-designed travel alarm)

8. looks up phrases

9. spelling help: retrieves candidates when you put question marks in for letters you are not sure of..

10. there's more, this is just a summary

I like this so much, I got the same kind of dictionary for the French language (French-English).

Now just to show how easy it is to screw up design and how people don't seem to notice as much as they should, here is what the better-selling, more frequently-advertised, more successful line of 'electronic dictionaries' (the one most people will mindlessly buy) does:

1. does not contain the full contents of a massive 'professional' dictionary and uses a worse dictionary.

2. has a smaller display so you can't read many lines and have to scroll all the time

3. doesn't tell you anything until you've typed the entire word and spelled it correctly

4. buries the most frequent or likely use behind other obscure meanings

5. erases your results when you turn it off, no history

6. no 'summary'...you may have to scroll thru half a dozen or a dozen pages for a particularly 'rich' word

7. there are more defects, but this is the point where I lost interest in knowing more about this competing line of products -- I suppose if someone gave me one, I might resist stuffing it down the garbage disposal

Amazing how important good design is and how logical and seamless it can be at its best. And how often product designers screw it up. (Toasters, anyone? Umbrellas made in China?)

Do you have any particularly well-designed tools you rave about?

(This post was more about design in general than to 'sell' the two particular models I own. But if anyone's interested in buying an electronic dictionary or French translator and wants more information, post which one and I can give you model, manufacturer, price, etc. and where you can go for more detailed info. If you are interested, do it now because they are stopping production.)

Edited March 26, 2011 by Philip Coates

[Cariad]

I would very much like to know the details for this dictionary, Phil.

Thank you!

[Philip Coates]

Hi Cariad,

Happy to help: Did you want all the info for the English language one or for the French-English?

[caroljane]

there is an anticanadian conspiracy against my internet connection.

Edited March 27, 2011 by daunce lynam

[caroljane]

I have a number of paper dictionaries plus internet access. But despite frequent curiosity about words or usage or etymology I don't use any of them very often. If one has a good vocabulary and a lot of word knowledge and can figure out most meanings from the context, dictionary use is rare. And I don't want to fire up the computer for one word every ten or fifty pages of reading. I will seldom want to heft and page through the big thick unabridged dictionary just for a minor lookup of something that is not essential to understanding what I'm reading. Plus, since it has infrequent use, it is not handy or nearby. And the thinner and lighter bedside cheap dictionaries seldom have the word I want or enough detail or examples or word origin.

But since I got an electronic dictionary, I use it almost daily. More than I've ever used a dictionary in my life. Even for words I know, just to be more precise, see related concepts, etc.

There are competing manufacturers and I had to do a fairly intense research project to find one that does everything right. To me this is an example of how to perfectly design a gadget (something quite rare - I've purchased a lot of junk in my life):

1. portability: pocket size, fits on nightstand, weighs almost nothing

2. comprehensive: based on entire contents of the huge Oxford American Dictionary (based on and spun off from the OED), plus the matching thesaurus, and the top book (Garner's) on usage - so you can find almost any word you might be looking for. plus a mini-encyclopedia.

3. logical retrieval: all the different senses of each word, plus examples, plus ordered by most frequent meaning and use (not by chronology or 'root').

4. useful display: big screen, searches and presents candidate words as you type the first letters, toggle between summary format of first line of each word sense or expanded format, ability to search for words within a meaning and then trace back your search

5. memory: turn it on and its where you left it, stores a 'history' of your previous searches so you can go back and review words you looked for yesterday or last week.

6. instant on / instant off.

7. protective clamshell (like a well-designed travel alarm)

8. looks up phrases

9. spelling help: retrieves candidates when you put question marks in for letters you are not sure of..

10. there's more, this is just a summary

I like this so much, I got the same kind of dictionary for the French language (French-English).

Now just to show how easy it is to screw up design and how people don't seem to notice as much as they should, here is what the better-selling, more frequently-advertised, more successful line of 'electronic dictionaries' (the one most people will mindlessly buy) does:

1. does not contain the full contents of a massive 'professional' dictionary and uses a worse dictionary.

2. has a smaller display so you can't read many lines and have to scroll all the time

3. doesn't tell you anything until you've typed the entire word and spelled it correctly

4. buries the most frequent or likely use behind other obscure meanings

5. erases your results when you turn it off, no history

6. no 'summary'...you may have to scroll thru half a dozen or a dozen pages for a particularly 'rich' word

7. there are more defects, but this is the point where I lost interest in knowing more about this competing line of products -- I suppose if someone gave me one, I might resist stuffing it down the garbage disposal

Amazing how important good design is and how logical and seamless it can be at its best. And how often product designers screw it up. (Toasters, anyone? Umbrellas made in China?)

Do you have any particularly well-designed tools you rave about?

(This post was more about design in general than to 'sell' the two particular models I own. But if anyone's interested in buying an electronic dictionary or French translator and wants more information, post which one and I can give you model, manufacturer, price, etc. and where you can go for more detailed info. If you are interested, do it now because they are stopping production.)

Citation, Phil! You could mention that certain items of supreme excellence are obtainable only through the sluggish mediocrity of socialism in action!

[pippi]

I am sorry but I find this title funny, I will restrain myself

[Selene]

I am sorry but I find this title funny, I will restrain myself

Damn...

I cannot believe I missed that one!

Nice pickup!

[caroljane]

I am sorry but I find this title funny, I will restrain myself

Damn...

I cannot believe I missed that one!

Nice pickup!

Engineering design is no fit subject for cheap jokes. John Galt was an engineer! Is nothing sacred around here?

Put a sock in it, you guys. A magic, red one.

[Philip Coates]

It's too bad no one finds the actual subject of post #1 of much interest; I might have taken it further or in a different direction.

> I am sorry but I find this title funny, I will restrain myself [Pippi]

Too late.

[Selene]

It's too bad no one finds the actual subject of post #1 of much interest; I might have taken it further or in a different direction.

> I am sorry but I find this title funny, I will restrain myself [Pippi]

Too late.

It is also too bad to be reminded, once again, how, by innuendo, that all of us have failed in some manner to not appreciate "the actual subject" of a thread posted by you.

[kiaer.ts]

On occasion I am rather impressed by the quality of a book. The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary is most excellent. It's dense and handsome illustrations will teach you the names for things you don't even know in English - let alone Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Searchable 1st Edition http://www.amazon.com/Firefly-Five-Language-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1552977781

Aavailable 2nd Edition: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554074924/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1552977781&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0XNE0H2VCBBD0TA6G5D0

Edited March 27, 2011 by Ted Keer

[Philip Coates]

> It is also too bad to be reminded, once again, how, by innuendo, that all of us have failed in some manner to not appreciate "the actual subject" of a thread posted by you. [Adam]

I see: You'd rather I didn't mention it at all, or perhaps I should mention it in an abrasive or personally insulting or name-calling way?

And I suppose you'd rather I didn't respond at all when you take potshots at me on nearly every thread, or engage in ridiculing me constantly. It's okay when you do -that- sort of thing, right?

It's all just in "good fun" right?

Edited March 27, 2011 by Philip Coates

[kiaer.ts]

> It is also too bad to be reminded, once again, how, by innuendo, that all of us have failed in some manner to not appreciate "the actual subject" of a thread posted by you. [Adam]

I see: You'd rather I didn't mention it at all, or perhaps I should mention it in an abrasive or personally insulting or name-calling way?

And I suppose you'd rather I didn't respond at all when you take potshots at me on nearly every thread, or engage in ridiculing me constantly. It's okay when you do -that- sort of thing, right?

It's all just in "good fun" right?

Phil, you know very well the nature of this site, the preferences of its owner, and what to expect from various posters. By responding to such provocations you simply encourage them and participate in the very hijack about which you complain. Simply ignore them and get on with your contributions.

[Mikee]

On occasion I am rather impressed by the quality of a book. The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary is most excellent. It's dense and handsome illustrations will teach you the names for things you don't even know in English - let alone Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Searchable 1st Edition http://www.amazon.com/Firefly-Five-Language-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1552977781

Aavailable 2nd Edition: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554074924/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1552977781&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0XNE0H2VCBBD0TA6G5D0

Thanks Ted for a concise description of the product, including the name of the book, and actual links to more information and where to buy it. Much appreciated. This will make an awesome gift for my niece.

[kiaer.ts]

On occasion I am rather impressed by the quality of a book. The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary is most excel

lent. It's dense and handsome illustrations will teach you the names for things you don't even know in English - let alone Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Searchable 1st Edition http://www.amazon.co...y/dp/1552977781

Aavailable 2nd Edition: http://www.amazon.co...H2VCBBD0TA6G5D0

Thanks Ted for a concise description of the product, including the name of the book, and actual links to more information and where to buy it. Much appreciated. This will make an awesome gift for my niece.

If your niece is solely interested in one language, there are bilingual instead of multi-lingual editions available. But I would recommend the five language version in most cases, given the small difference in price. Spanish is the second language after English, so the five language version is not at all inconvenient for those mostly interested in Spanish. Here are two images from the French and Spanish bilingual editions:

[kiaer.ts]

Netflix!

Unlimited streaming on demand and movies in the mail with a two-day turn-around for less than the price of a discounted DVD a month?

Netflix is an incredible service.

[Rich Engle]

The header is enough to get it.

rde

Come, Tool, roll over, get the stick.