- Object I love: Ju-Ju Be Diaper Bag
I fell in love with this bag the moment I saw it. I’ve been using this bag for 5 years now. It looks small, but the way it is designed can fit more than I could imagine. It has many pockets. 3 on the outside and 8 on the inside.
My favorite feature is the shoulder straps. The straps afford to wear the bag as a backpack which helps a lot with my shoulder and back pain. The shortening mechanism on the belt has visible signifiers that help understand how to change the length. When reached to the desirable length, the strap buckle gives feedback with a clicking noise which means the strap is locked in place.
The bag also has an over-the-shoulder strap option.
There are two round side pockets on the outside. These pockets are insulated and are designed for baby bottles. I like the circular shape which constrains putting anything other than a baby bottle in insulated pockets. Besides lots of storage pockets inside, this bag has storage on the front which is designed primarily for keys, sanitizers, cellphone, and credit cards. This provides the comfort of carrying only one sack.
- Object I hate: Bissell CrossWaive vacuum and mop
I hate my Bissell vacuum cleaner and mop. When I first saw this product, I was thinking it is going to make my life easy since it both vacuums and cleans different surfaces. However, when I tried it, I realized it does not do any of the jobs well. Besides being heavy and its super loud noise, it leaves the floor wet which leaves stains on my wood flooring. First time I wanted to use this I was utterly clueless about how to use it. There is absolutely no visual cues of how to use it. There were no signifiers for how and where to add water and the detergent. How to clean and empty the trash storage tray. The storage tray seemed to affords pulling. Therefore, my conceptual model was that I need to grab the handle and pull it out. I almost broke the handle because I had first to push the handle to unlock the storage tray and then pull it out. Another problem I have with this product is that it does not provide a feedback on wether it is on carpet clean mode or wood flooring mode. My work around is that I push carpet clean button several times to make sure it is on that mode when I clean the carpet.
Hi Sahar, I appreciate that you’ve highlighted the design values vocabulary. I see how these everyday household objects that are connected by a more abstract theme of keeping things in order are at odds here for you – the positive physical constraint for one object versus the diaper bag and the physical constraints amplified by missing feedback and affordances with the vacuum cleaner. Would you say then you’re somewhat “habituated” now to the vacuum cleaner? Also curious to hear your take on how the purpose of a given object might bear an additional influence on our reactions to it. e.g., a diaper bag more positive/endearing because its functional and used in the context of an infant/toddler vs. a vacuum cleaner that implies chores.