Analog In, Digital Out: Brendan Dawes on Interaction Design

3. “Brown Paper and String” Moments

I own a digital watch that is, on the face of it, a ridiculous design for a device with the sole purpose of telling the time. Other watches get straight to the point. We look at them, they tell us the time, we’re finished, thank you, goodnight. Yet this watch—well, it requires some work.

This watch requires that I use my other hand to get it to reveal itself: I must press the button on the side to get the current time. Wholly inefficient, compared to most other watches. Surely no one would want a device that requires more effort to use? Surely this would be a commercial disaster? Of course not. Why? Because ...