NEWS INSIGHTS installer
Complex systems don’t need complicated controls By Tim Boxall, technical sales support manager, Gree UK
If we could go forward to the Star Trek universe, where people just tell the computer what internal conditions they would like, it would still be too complicated for most end users. Yet, most controllers, whether wall mounted or remote control, are far too confusing for the average person.
I know some of you will be shouting “nonsense” at the page, but you are all experts in the field. You have probably used dozens of different controllers in your time and you know your way around them, and you know what all the abbreviations and settings mean; the average hotel guest or office worker does not.
The problem is, people love messing with the AC controls and the fact that they have no idea what they are doing does not put them off. You may do a great handover document and train the primary user, but natural staff turnover means there will soon be untrained fingers pressing the buttons or touch screens.
This is often the reason for complaints about poor performance of the air conditioning and unnecessary engineer callouts. When the engineer gets there, he discovers that all he needs to do is reset the controls.
As far as controls are concerned, there are two forces seemingly working against each other.
Manufacturers are obviously continually trying to differentiate their products from their competitors by adding more and more
new features, most of which mean adding yet another function or mode to the controller. To make the most of these, engineers have to be able to make fine adjustments as easily as possible, so they need the ‘complicated’ controllers. At the same time, our corporate customers and their consultants are telling us they need controllers that are as simple possible.
On one occasion, we showed a client a controller with only three buttons, to be told that it was still too complicated.
All they want is for their employees or hotel guests to be able to raise or lower the temperature within strict parameters and return to the predetermined levels at the end of the day. They do not want anyone to be able to do anything significant to alter the agreed settings. The answer, of course, is that these two forces do not have to be contradictory.
For some time, Gree has been developing controllers that offer the best of both worlds; a route that other manufacturers should follow. These offer very simple off/on up/down options at the initial level, that are as idiot-proof as possible, while the more complex systems are still available to properly trained engineers. These are proving very popular with both customers and engineers.
The key is, when you are designing something, listen to customers and do not get carried away with the wizzo technology.
16 June 2017
www.acr-news.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120
