If you’re reading this you are probably in front of a computer, which means there’s probably a keyboard in front of you with lots of clicking buttons. I want you to try out a small experiment. Open Notepad, word, or whatever text editor you like and just type a bit. Sentences, Gibberish, whatever. While you are typing, listen. Do you hear the keyboard clicking away under your fingers? That’s the sound of words being created (or gibberish, whatever).
Has it ever occurred to you that the clicking sound of your keyboard has been designed (or at least, should have been)? Have you ever thought about the importance of clicks as a product’s feature?
Think about your keyboard again, in a different context. Think about a small child who plays with a keyboard – She pretends to be typing by mimicking the clicking rhythm she hears when her dad is typing away. In a way, ‘Clicks’ are probably the most important sound a product can make. It tells so much about the product in terms of build quality, functionality and attention to details. They affect the overall experience and can bring joy or grief to the user.
There are many types of clicks. There’s the click of a well made car door, which tells you “Your car was well made. You can trust it, it’s safe”. There’s the famous click of a gun being loaded, used in all action movies to tell that “Shit just got real, this machine is ready to operate”.
Clicks can also have a negative aspect. You know that thing when you’re in a quite room and all of a sudden you notice that the clock on the wall is ticking, and now you just can’t quite get that ticking noise out of your head? I swear that when I bought the watch I currently own I held it up to my ear before buying it only to avoid annoying sudden clicks.
So next time you’re appreciating a product’s design, don’t just watch and feel it. Hear it. It speaks – you just need to listen.
