This is a service bell and mini-menu stand from a Taiwanese bubble tea hut in Richmond, BC Canada. I have seen similar devices in Hong Kong and China before. It has three request modes: get a server, get water, check the bill, and a cancel button. Here are my few thoughts about the design and usability.

Form – The basic form of this device has a service bell as well as a holder of printed material. This is one simple object that serves two or more purposes.

Graphical element – there are simple icons that indicate different request modes. For most people who had experience eating in a restaurant can probably guess what those modes. I have a little concern about the cultural context though: Should you expect to call your designated server, or any server in the restaurant? Is it rude to call other servers in this restaurant? How long do you expect a server to come after ringing the bell? Is asking for water appropriate in that restaurant?

language barrier – since there’s no text labels on the button, this device in theory can be used in difference countries, or by people who cannot read Chinese.

Intuitiveness – the interface of the service bell, which is one giant button, is quite easy to understand just by looking at it. A well designed interface should be understandable without too much thought about it.

Graphical element – although I like the icon design for it’s simplicity and elegance, some of my friends find it too abstract and cannot identify the meaning of them easily, especially the water jug. Unfortunately there is no international standard symbol of water jug or the concept of refilling water. Maybe we can look at Isotype for inspiration. I think there is room to run a survey on the graphical elements and find the best icons for the device.