'More is less' for many home entertainment system users
On the collection of remotes in his home, Nielsen counted 239 buttons, a fairly typical number for an American household, he said. And in his home and most others, there are dozens of buttons that never get used.
Nielsen said electronics companies include new features to convince consumers that they're buying the latest and greatest technology. But that's sacrificing usability for marketing.
“Simplicity is a feature,” Nielsen said. “It's just not a check-box feature you can put on the side of the box.”
One problem is that the industry has been slow to adopt standards, Nielsen said. When each manufacturer charts its own course, devices must be controlled by their own remotes. That may be about to change.
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