I’m with Frank. You shouldn’t need a manual to do something that feels like little more than setting a number.
There are three stages (IMO) of the evolution of a technology:
(1) Basic. Low tech, basic function but simple to use;
(2) Complex. Medium tech, high-function but complicated to use;
(3) Mature. High tech, medium-function and simple to use.
Stage 1 is the basic function. It probably has only a few parts, and anyone with a few brain-cells can get their head around it. The transition from stage 1 to stage 2 happens when bright people start thinking about all the things they could do with the tech, and add lots of bells and whistles (that most people never use, and that make the thing over-complicated and hard to understand and operate). The transition from stage 2 to stage 3 happens when smart people realise which of the extra function most people actually find useful, remove most of the bells and whistles, and start concentrating on making the interface simple and useable again.
What most (emphasis on most) people need is either stage 1 or 3; thermostats today seem to be stuck (if you’ll pardon the pun) in stage 2.
I’m with Frank. You shouldn’t need a manual to do something that feels like little more than setting a number.
There are three stages (IMO) of the evolution of a technology:
(1) Basic. Low tech, basic function but simple to use;
(2) Complex. Medium tech, high-function but complicated to use;
(3) Mature. High tech, medium-function and simple to use.
Stage 1 is the basic function. It probably has only a few parts, and anyone with a few brain-cells can get their head around it. The transition from stage 1 to stage 2 happens when bright people start thinking about all the things they could do with the tech, and add lots of bells and whistles (that most people never use, and that make the thing over-complicated and hard to understand and operate). The transition from stage 2 to stage 3 happens when smart people realise which of the extra function most people actually find useful, remove most of the bells and whistles, and start concentrating on making the interface simple and useable again.
What most (emphasis on most) people need is either stage 1 or 3; thermostats today seem to be stuck (if you’ll pardon the pun) in stage 2.