Cohousing-L Mailing List: CH TV + Simple Wins [was common house kitchen stove

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

>> Here's my philosophy: For common use, purchase the most foolproof, 
>> easy-to-use, commonly- found version of any item. Here's why: In a shared 
>> environment where most people use the item infrequently and without looking 
>> at directions, you will want to pick the item carefully to be the easiest to 
>> use.

Of well over 100 wishes that our member listed -- from new team structure to 
aquarium to more faucets on the green -- the number one wish was for clear 
instructions to use the TV. 

This has been a thorn in our side since we bought it. Impossible. There are too 
many combinations of settings -- DVD, VCR, Games, Satellite TV. The TV has to 
be reset for each of these . The remote has to be reset. And not all the resets 
can be done from the remote. And for some the cables in back need to be changed 
and are reconnected wrong or not at all.

A month or so ago I had to show someone how to turn off closed captioning. 
She's the one who taught me 6 months ago. People just can't remember 50 facts 
about the TV when they only use it every few months.

I spent literally hours and hours and hours -- twice -- writing and testing 
instructions. Two weeks later people were complaining again. The satellite 
company had changed their software and the screens looked different which was 
totally confusing. I quit.

The only solution we have been able to come up with is to limit functionality 
and solder the cables in place. No one wants to do that. 

Does anyone else have a solution?

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines

Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org