Losing Context - Bryan Haggerty

A Lot of Hot Air

The majority of computer users use a right-handed mouse, even if you’re a left-handed, the industry has pretty much almost forced you to be a right-handed when it comes to a mouse. Which is why I’ve become a bit baffled by a design decision made by Dell in their laptops.

Laptops are becoming more and more the choice for computing over desktop computers and often people like to hook up a mouse to avoid the usable but straining trackpad. Yet when I hook up a mouse to my Dell laptop I’m greeted by one of the most uncomfortable sensations while attempting to use the laptop, a constant stream of hot air breathing down on my mouse hand from the laptop’s fan.

There are three other sides which Dell could have put the laptop’s fan on, but they decided to place it right in the spot where most people will be putting their hand as they operate a mouse. This particular Dell laptop not only has a trackpad but also an “eraser-tip” style mouse in the keyboard, seems like they really don’t want me to attach a mouse.

I’ve come up with some ingenious methods to combat this issue, many at the expense of possibly frying my company’s laptop. Often it is some kind of air funneling system created out of easily accessible office supplies.

Cheap In More Ways Than One

This is just one of the unseen costs when opting to purchase cheap products from companies that do not prioritize user experience design. Which leads to the common saying, “you get what you pay for.”