[OpenTRV-dev] Some interesting user feedback...

[Damon Hart-Davis]

I thought I’d just share this, as it is very interesting.

This is a REV2 unit with temperature knob, two LEARN buttons, and the Big Red Button on the front for mode.

Rgds

Damon

> > Initial UT stuff from my one-valve trial:
> >
> > 1) Functions perfectly. Does what the instructions say it will do.
> > 2) The unit has one control to cycle through 3 modes, which make me feel impatient because I have to press and wait.
> > 3) The feedback is a flashing LED, which requires me to count flashes to know which mode it's in. The three-flash is fast, so I'm not sure whether it's 2 or 3. I have to go round a couple of times to get the feel of it.
> > 4) I've ended up not using the learn mode. Not sure why - think it's somehow the lack of a visual cue that it's set, but I know that's lame.
> > 5) Biggest advantage for me so far is that I can reach the controller now it's not on the rad behind the sofa. So just as a remote-controlled valve it's cool.
> > 6) The room takes about 20-30 mins to gain 2-3 degrees, from chilly to OK. So it seems to take a bit of planning, and I'd quite like to give it a regular slot to be warm in, like 1800-2100. But as an ordinary user, I couldn't be bothered to check with the 'learn' mode would hang on to a setting that long.
> > 7) The actuator is noisy enough to have the family asking 'What's that noise?' and it's seems surprisingly busy during a movie.
> > 8) Def results in a chilly room when not in use, which is the idea.
> > 9) Seems like something that people who like programmable kit will get on with, but which could trigger the 'too much trouble' circuits in some. I wonder if having the mode cycle with each press (instead of waiting) and having a separate light for each mode would seem more intuitive? Or a three-way switch, adding cost.
> >
> > Anyway, I've not thought much about changes, but overall it seems like an excellent concept that I'd expect to work really well with enthusiasts and to show up some significant usability hurdles in testing.
> >
> > I definitely think dumping the main stat and having all the rads able to demand heat would be great, but you'd need a way to tell them all to take a standard setting and I think you'd need a simple timing setting.
> >
> > Love the idea of a simple UX on the box and a super-user laptop set-up, but think the simple one needs the timer too. ... a super-simple timer ... idea, and it's not as good as I thought. It's that there's a button to cycle through morning/afternoon/evening, each of which has an on or off condition set with a second button (or a long hold). We'd set the default times for those slots (say 0700-1300, 1300-1800, 1800-2200) which you could tweak in the laptop advanced settings. So for my office rooms I just set morning & afternoon, and for my TV room I set evening. Blunt, but easy and some efficiency improvement. I know, it needs thought, but you could even add the boost now to the same control (press & hold?) and have it replace the 'frost/warm/boost' setting.