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Pet Peeve -- why do headphone companies make the LEFT and RIGHT symbols so hard to locate

I can often be found staring and squinting at my headphones and IEMs, turning them around and around, looking for the Left and Right symbols. Most are tiny and in the same dark color as the housing. Some are outside, some inside, and for some headphones, don't even exist (I am complaining about you, Sennheiser PC38X).

Why do the manufacturers make these important labels so small and hard to find? Aesthetics? Arrogance? Lack of human factor design skills?
kixo

Showing 2 responses by kixo

kixo OP
23 posts
 
The point is I shouldn't have to mark up a product because the manufacturer didn't consider usability and affordance when designing it. Or age or bad eyesight...

Bright LEDs are not a usability issue, they are an aesthetics issue.

Audio equipment in general gets poor marks for interaction design. Tiny buttons, all the same size, no hierarchy of function, etc.
kixo OP
23 posts
 
I am fully behind your idea. Next time I am at the grocer, I will buy a Lemon and a Rambutan and use the stickers to identify the L and R sides of my headphone. Thanks!
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