Vent: Overheard a homeowner say their alarm was 'too confusing' to use

Was at a job in Arlington last Tuesday finishing up a panel swap, and the customer's wife told me they never arm the system because the keypad has too many buttons. She said 'I just want one button for away and one for home.' Made me think we as installers need to push for simpler user interfaces in our proposals. How do you guys handle customers who get overwhelmed by basic features?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.olivia5d ago

Is it really that hard to just ask what features they actually want before installing a fancy keypad?

the_alex4d ago

And that's exactly the problem with so much stuff these days. People just assume what others want instead of taking five minutes to talk to them. It's like when someone buys a fancy coffee maker for a friend who only drinks tea. They think more features means better, but it's actually worse if it's not what you need. Same with tech in general. Everyone wants the flashiest thing with the most buttons, but most people just want something simple that works for their actual life. Nobody asks the basic questions anymore.

cameron_hernandez695d ago

One button for away and one button for home? Sounds like they want a garage door opener, not an alarm system. Next they'll ask for a button that just shouts "stay away" out the window.