Are questions about physical user interfaces on topic?

Question

By that I mean, is the scope of this site solely the way a user interacts with software on their screen (monitor, touch screen, smart phone, etc)? Or does it include the way a user interacts with... anything?

For example, would a question regarding the layout of buttons and LEDs on an embedded device be off topic? Or the controls on a DVD player? Or when to use actual depressable buttons vs those lighted, pressure sensitive parts of a device?

I don't necessarily expect a "user interface" SE to attract people designing physical devices, but if it did -- is that on-topic?

Answer 1

I think they're okay. The Design of Everyday Things is one of the most popular answers to the must-read book question.

Though most if not all of us are software people, we can learn from physical interfaces too.

Answer 2

I love the question of a child-safe pill bottle. Design is design. Besides, I am a fan of openness, versus restriction in questions.

Answer 3

Considering how many software interfaces borrow from physical antecedents, and the rise of touch interaction with digital products, it would be remiss to ignore physical interfaces.

Answer 4

Absolutely yes. The Forum title is "User Experience", not just User Interaction or even HCI. Not that these are bad areas, but they need to have the wider perspective of how people interact with things - it is the experience of people engaging with stuff.

This is why the question on web addresses is, IMO, totally on topic. If we exclude aspects of the user experience - either in questions or in terms of how we do UX work - then we are failing to understand the context of the user experience.