Chapter 15 Question ○ one one

Why do women's clothes button on the left and men's clothes always button on the right? (Gordon Wilder, Katie Wheelers, etc.) It is not surprising that garment manufacturers adopt corresponding unified standards to meet the different needs of different buying groups for clothing functions.Oddly enough, what applies to women is the exact opposite of what applies to men.It's another matter if the standards are set entirely arbitrarily.But men's standards are obviously also very suitable for women.After all, more than ninety percent of the world's population (both men and women) are right-handed, and it's much easier to button up from the right with your right hand.So why do women's clothes button on the left?

In this example, it seems that history really has the final say.When the button first came out in the seventeenth century, it was only buttoned on the coats of the rich.According to the custom at that time, men dressed themselves, while women were helped by servants.The buttons on the lady's shirt are on the left side, which greatly facilitates the servants (mostly right-handed) who serve the hostess.The buttons of men's shirts are on the right, not only because most men dress themselves, but also because the sword hanging on the left waist is drawn with the right hand, so it is not easy to be caught by the shirt.

Nowadays, there are probably not many women who still have servants to dress them. Why are the buttons of women's clothes still left on the left?Once norms are established, they are difficult to change.Since all women's blouses button on the left, it would be risky for any tailor to offer women's blouses that button on the right.After all, women have long been accustomed to buttoning from the left, and once they switch buttons to the right, they have to develop new habits and switch to new techniques. Despite this practical difficulty, some women may find it embarrassing to wear a shirt that buttons on the right in public, because people who see it will think she is wearing a man's shirt.

The product design should not only include the functions that are most in line with consumers' wishes, but also meet the needs of sellers to keep prices low and facilitate competition.That is to say, product design must achieve a balance between the two. The function of product design should conform to the principle of cost-effectiveness. The details of product design also have a certain relationship with geometric principles. A manufacturer's strategic decision about a design feature (how that feature will affect the use of the product) is reflected in the product. Product design must not only conform to how the product may be used, but also what kind of information the product hopes to convey to users.

Interpretation of product design function must be done with deep consideration of historical sources.