KitchenAid is cute, if you have the time

We needed a new coupling for our KitchenAid blender. I wanted to make sure I had the right part, so I went to the KitchenAid site. Here’s what I saw:

And then:

The word cycle on the right includes “mixing,” “whisking,” “loving,” “tasting,” and “bonding.” It’s cute, their mixer is an iconic design, and the word cycle delivers all the right warm fuzzies for their brand.

I grabbed 10 screenshots while I was waiting. I could have grabbed at least another 10 before I got to the site content, I think. I didn’t stick around to find out. A coupling is a cheap part so I could roll the dice.

What I remember about the site, well after the cuteness, is that it wasted my time. I don’t mind Flash in sites. And I’ll wait a long time for a Flash-based art or info visualization site to load. But if your site is about content that doesn’t need Flash, please don’t make me wait. Chances are I won’t.

Make Them Smile

My wife Mehera bought a candle and when I opened the tube to smell the candle, I smiled. In the tube on top of the candle was a matchbook, with the candle maker’s logo, of course. In our house, we don’t light things often, so finding matches isn’t always easy. Big Dipper Wax Works made it easy.

Big Dipper Beehive Candle

Last spring, I attended a workshop by Dan Buchner from Design Continuum in which he discussed and had us design the out-of-the-box experience for a media player. One of the points I took away is that experience design, like most other design, works best when you don’t notice it. You’re too busy smiling.