Andrea diSessa coined the concept of the “nightmare bicycle” in his book Changing Minds as an example of poor product design
The nightmare bicycle is a bike with labeled buttons instead of numbered gears because product managers assumed users couldn’t understand numbers, which would be a nightmare for riders as it would inhibit their ability to understand how to use the gears correctly.
DiSessa said systemic design is far more effective as it relies on users’ ability to comprehend structure and apply it to various situations, and people are perfectly capable of understanding numbered gears with a little practice.
The same goes for microwave ovens, which diSessa said should have time and power buttons rather than a plethora of labeled buttons depicting different food types.
Good design should show the system and trust users to understand it, rather than covering it up with shallow labels that restrict users’ ability to comprehend it, he concluded.