The results showed that designing domestic appliances requires careful consideration of form in relation to function and that the domestic appliance industry is behind other sectors when it comes to interface design. A vehicle is an extremely complex product yet most drivers can step from one vehicle to another and operate the same basic functions (such as steering, gear changing, braking) without the need for a manual. Most domestic appliances, however, require a mandatory read of the manual - totally against the nature of most consumers who ignore the manual and try to operate the appliance using a mixture of intuition and guesswork.

By designing interfaces for intuitive operation and looking at consistency of operational features, with special attention paid to the extreme needs and capabilities of an ageing population, high-tech products within the home can be used to their full capability and users will feel more enabled and confident when using complicated appliances.

Colour, form, sound, touch and signs all influence the way in which we interact with products. Can we use this to design easy-to-use appliances, and will this mark the end of the over-complicated instruction manual?