Radu was praising the good sense of a labeling strategy by a clothes manufacturer some time ago, and it was only when running into some counter examples of my own that i realized how often we DO pay attention and get annoyed.
These are (forgive pics taken with lousy 1 MP phone camera) two products whose labeling and instruction methods strike me as appalling.
One is a medication prescribed for mild infections and the other is a face cleaning gel. The medication remarkably says, among others, that side effects might include headaches, nausea and PARANOIA WITH SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, while the gel suggests at the end of its 'how to use' that it can just as well function as shaving cream for men. Now, the more I think about it, the more it becomes clear that Yes, thank you, I would like to know in bold, fat letters if taking your pill is going to make me jump off a bridge screaming "they're after me" or if your cleansing gel is going to give me a beard!!
geesh ....
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1 comment:
This is probably a joke I and will come across as incredibly square, but the way I see it is this: in the case of medication, we're often surprised by some of the side effects that appear in the fine print. But it must be said that most serious side effects only appear in the rarest of cases, and in case of drug interactions, genetic predisposition and whatnot. So if you already have a history of mental instability, your doctor will know and won't recommend this product (hopefully). Another reason why they mention all these outlandish side effects is that the pharmaceutical companies are trying to cover their back; i.e, if it does happen to you, you were warned (last time I read medication info, I found out I could get a heart attackk from eye drops...). But I don't think it necessary to mention these exceptionally rare side effects in "bold, fat letters".
As for the face cleansing gel, the fact that it can be used as a shaving gel just means that it's moisturising enough. Most cosmetic products are just minor variations of the same ingredients, anyway.
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