This is a system:
The system has a predetermined function, a reason for existing. It’s fairly apparent. The function of this system is to deliver eucalyptus mint scented body wash.
To work the system, you press the pump on top. Simple.
If you use a washcloth, and hold it as close as you can to the neck of the bottle when you press the pump, the system works just fine.
But!
If you use, say, a loofah which has more bulk than a washcloth, you can’t get it right next to the neck of the bottle. The neck is too short. When you press the pump, the body wash gets delivered not to the loofah but to the bottle itself. The spout is too short.
The system only functions correctly for certain types of tools held in a precise position.
Poor design.
Here is another system, with the same functionality:
The pump has a higher neck and a longer spout. If you hold your body-washing tool (washcloth, loofah, exfoliating glove, scrub brush, banana peel, whatever) anywhere near the neck of the bottle, the system works just fine.
The system functions correctly for basically any type of tool, held in any position.
Good design.
These small systems are part of the larger system:
Since I can access either one of these small systems anytime I want, the poor design of the one isn’t a big deal to me. I can choose which small system to access based on the tool I want to use and the precision I’m able to achieve.
But what if I only had a loofah, and I only had the poorly designed body wash delivery system?
A few things would happen:
I’d use up my resources faster. Not because I wanted to, but because my only accessible tool does not work well with the poorly designed system.
I’d have to expend more energy. It would require more effort from me, the user, to get the same result that other people (with access to better tools and properly designed systems) could get with a fraction of the same effort.
I’d be frustrated and demotivated when I used the system. I might be aware of the problem: poor design, mismatched tool. So I might be frustrated with the system designer. I might be frustrated that I don’t have access to a better tool that I could use with the system. ….Or I might not realize the problem is with the system. I might think the problem is with me. I might begin to think I’m just not a very good user, not very intelligent, not very capable.
I might be blamed for the system’s failure. I might complain, rightly, about the system. But other people, with access to different tools, or with more system options, might not understand. They might say things like, “It works fine for me,” or “I don’t have any problems like that.” I might be able to articulate my complaint in a way that was clear and understandable and they might get it, and work to help me access better tools, or redesign the systems. Or they might dismiss my complaints, call me lazy, and blame me for the problems. I might not have the time or energy to articulate my complaint, anyway, since I’d be so busy trying to make up for missing resources, work with a poorly designed system, manage my frustration, and stay motivated long enough to get the needed results.
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