Affordances of the post-COVID-19 era
The global pandemic might change how we interact with daily objects.
As every person is a potential virus carrier and each publicly used object is potentially contaminated, how we perceive and interact with these objects have been dramatically changed. Thus, the core concepts of product design might be subject to change as well.
One of these concepts is affordance, which was popularized by Don Norman, a researcher, professor, and author. In his book The Design of Everyday Things, he defines affordance as “a relationship between the properties of an object and the capabilities of the agent that determine just how the object could possibly be used”. In other words, affordances determine what actions are possible when interacting with an object.
Door handles
Let’s take a look at doors, which Norman famously used as an example in his book. Depending on the way the knob or handle is designed and placed, a door affords pushing, pulling or sliding sideways. A handle, as the name implies, is designed to interact with a hand.
However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, publicly used door handles have grown to be no-go zones due to their potential of becoming the virus’ festival ground. No matter how thoughtfully designed a door is, the knob or the handle might now be the last thing people want to interact with. In fact, it might as well be “anything but the handle”!.
We have started to see quick-n-dirty “hacks” as well as more refined products to answer our growing need for opening doors without using our hands:
The doors of post COVID-19 era might be required to afford opening or closing with forearms rather than hands.
Elevator buttons
Let’s think of another public object we interact with every day, such as elevator buttons. Many of these buttons are obviously designed for our fingers and not elbows or kneecaps. So, we might want to rethink the affordances of these products as well.
Traffic light buttons
Dutch designer Thor ter Kulve hacked the traffic light button by placing a lever on top of it which can be pushed by knee, elbow, or hip. Depending on the user’s perception, the lever might afford pushing our pulling.
The takeaway
Let’s go back to the definition of affordance. “The properties of an object and the capabilities of the agent that determine just how the object could possibly be used.” We’re going through such a time that can dramatically influence our capabilities or preferences when interacting with a product. This would result in a considerable change in the properties of products, thus giving birth to new affordances.
Opening doors with forearms or pushing elevator buttons with elbows might be the new normal, and we might increasingly see new types of door designs and elevator interfaces; or, as we get over this pandemic, we can go back to our “old” normal and the solutions I shared above will remain temporary hacks; only time will tell.
