There is nothing to feel on these selector buttons. They don't even feel metallic, although visually, they appear to be metal.

This is in contrast to labels for things actually selected by these buttons, such as water temperatures, where there is at least a faint texture left by the printing atop the machine's surface.

The only thing that can be felt is the indentations between each button.

#tactility
#tactile
#accessibility

2/x

This design looks pretty enough but seems a poor choice for selector buttons where it is reasonable to expect the user to want to know what category of things is being selected.

These buttons are, effectively, the names expected at the top of each column in a chart. Without them, you have to guess at the actual category by the options in the columnar list.

That's a lot of extra mental work to go through just to throw on a load of laundry. 🙄

#endUser
#UI
#UIX

3/x

Now, among close friends, I am well known to be frustated by #interfaces that seem as complex as something the #nuclearIndustry needs for managing a reactor or starting Armageddon.

Indeed, with the same sorts of chips being used in all sorts of different devices, I am *slightly* worried that navigating the complexity of refuelling my vehicle might accidentally trigger said Armageddon.

Who knows where those codes could be hidden, amirite???!? 😳😬😂

#UI
#UIX
#complexity
#design

4/x

But in all seriousness, being #ChronicallyIll and #ActuallyDisabled means that dealing with a constant flood of over-complicated #interfaces can be draining beyond my capacity for any given day.

And it feels pretty darned frustrating to be thwarted from doing laundry just because one doesn't have advanced degrees in graph theory or #cryptography and isn't up to dealing with all this just for some fresh clothes.

5/x

Granted, I am getting to the older end of life now. Certainly far older than I anticipated (this is probably called 'middle-aged' for all you non-disabled folks out there). 😛

Perhaps younger folks find this level of #complexity so normal as to be a mere trifle.

But I miss the days when you could just turn a dial and push a button and be done with something. Whether a washer or a toaster, life did indeed feel simpler, more #accessible back then.

6/x

But managing my many #ChronicIllnesses doesn't afford me the 'luxury' of never washing clothing, bedding, etc ever again.

Nevermind not posing a choking hazard to anyone sitting nearby in a waiting room somewhere, there's also just basic infection control/prevention to worry about.

So, the laundry must be done!

#infectionControl
#infectionPrevention
#laundry

7/x

But what to do about the unreadable 12-pt, thin light grey-on-silver #Helvetica-ish text on the selector buttons?

How can I make the #washer and #dryer #accessible?

8/x

I dislike the idea of pairing my shaky printing with a big Sharpie directly on the buttons. That's where #embossedLabels can help!

You may be familiar with these sorts of things from those wonky, vaguely gun-like things with a big plastic selector disk that you turn to select a letter, then squeeze hard to produce an embossed letter/word on the plastic tape roll it contains.

#Dymo
#labels
#labelling

9/x

And I would guess that more than a few of you are presently expecting that I grabbed a #Dymo labeller and took care of the problem.

The thing is, I don't HAVE a Dymo labeller!

😱

10/x

But I DO have a Braille slate. A few of them, in fact. And at least one of them is designed for this very problem!

Welcome to the awesome #design choice to include slots for labelling tape, allowing folks easy-access to Braille labels without specialised equipment.

#Braille
#BrailleSlate
#brailling
#labels
#accessibility

11/x