UX Design of a Wireless Mouse

Originally posted on https://vinaikumar.wordpress.com.  18 May 2020

I have been using an Amazon Basics mouse for the past three months. It is a battery powered wireless mouse. The mouse uses two AAA batteries. The indication for communicating its active status is located at the bottom.

I tend to leave the mouse ON very often because there is no visible indication of its state of being ON when seen from our usual viewpoints. If I remember to turn the mouse upside down and switch it OFF, it seems like an achievement in being alert and situation-aware.

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From the point of view of holistic and human-centred design of products, this is an oversight of the designers of this product. Not only does it lead to more battery consumption and the wastage of energy, it is also a cause of unnecessary cognitive load on the memory and attention adding to its users’ anxiety and bringing about a sense of being irresponsible.

A tiny LED on top would be very valuable in this context. Further, the ON/OFF switch can also be integrated with the LED. I believe this is not a very difficult thing to do – given today’s technology and design capabilities available in the IT industry.

A good UX design should aim at empowering users and making them more confident when using complex technology-driven products.

Vinai Kumar