Default features can lead to negative first impressions

It's funny how many gadgets I work with every day have a default feature that makes people think the product is junk.

Case in point. A client recently hired me to go through her "list" of stuff she need to learn on her laptop. First on her list was why her screen was so dark some times and other times perfectly bright.

I quickly explained to my client that it was because her laptop had power management features that kicked in when she unplugged her laptop and ran solely on battery power. One such "feature" was to dim the screen 20 or 30% to maximize the amount of time the laptop could run on battery.

Power Settings Balanced

Why this is understandably a great feature, my client actually thought something was wrong with her laptop until I showed her how to temporarily change the brightness or completely disable this power management feature.

Bad, bad digital zoom

Another popular default feature is the digital zoom on a digital camera. Most people have no idea they are even using a digital zoom. And after using it to obtain maximum zoom on their first few pictures, they assume the camera is junk based on the resulting blurry pictures.

Can you think of any other gadgets or consumer electronics that have a default feature that may lead to a negative impression of the product? Leave a comment below and let me know.

2 comments for this blog post so far...

  • #1
    February 25, 2010 at 1:46 pm

    Andy

    Wow, I can’t believe this post wasn’t about Google Buzz! I kept reading and got to the end and thought, ‘Where was the Buzz part?’

    What the heck is up with Windows not coming with some sort of antivirus by default? Maybe it is for antitrust reasons, but it comes with a malware tool and firewall. Weird.

  • #2
    February 27, 2010 at 1:29 pm

    Patric Welch

    Andy - Sorry to disappoint. Google Buzz is just too easy to pick on at this point :)

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