Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Complexity Causes 50% of Product Returns
Posted by Chris Gohlke in "NEWS" @ 09:00 AM
"Half of all malfunctioning products returned to stores by consumers are in full working order, but customers can't figure out how to operate the devices, a scientist said on Monday. Product complaints and returns are often caused by poor design, but companies frequently dismiss them as "nuisance calls", Elke den Ouden found in her thesis at the Technical University of Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands."
Perhaps they should read the directions! Unfortunately, many manuals are pretty poorly written. I doubt many companies hire a good technical writer to work on their manuals much the less try the manuals on a few consumers. Hopefully, companies will see this study and realize that an investment in this area might actually save them money on returns in the long run.
Perhaps they should read the directions! Unfortunately, many manuals are pretty poorly written. I doubt many companies hire a good technical writer to work on their manuals much the less try the manuals on a few consumers. Hopefully, companies will see this study and realize that an investment in this area might actually save them money on returns in the long run.
