The one interface that I tend to a lot is the vending machine. I see many people frequent the vending machine in between classes and I was observing them during my gaps. Don Norman talks about how affordances are defined by what actions are possible, he mentions that affordances became much more confusing with the addition of virtual objects. Due to the fact that the interfaces of vending machines have really changed in the past couple of years, from being simple interface of using simple inputs to having a complete digital interface. The affordances are the various combinations that could be pressed in order to obtain the specific item in the vending machines. The combination of the letters A-F and the numbers from 1-10. The various signifiers of the vending machines are the various buttons that are shown on the “screen” to show which buttons are which.
I realized that with the new interfaces of the vending machines it allows for a much more streamlined and seamless process to ordering something from the vending machine. I noticed that with the addition of use of credit cards, the process had become even more seamless. But I also realized that due to the touch screen that it had become an inconvenience due to the fact that the interface is not very efficient.