The usability of mineral water 28 Nov 2007

The Product Usability Weblog has an interesting little post on the price of mineral water. Apparently, if you buy it at a European railway or petrol station, a half-litre bottle costs €1,50, while a 1.5 litre bottle costs €0,75. That's right: if you take the smaller bottle you're getting a third of the water contained in the larger bottle, at double the price!

Why? Well, it seems that the railway and petrol stations are basing the price of mineral water on ease-of-use. The size and weight of a 1.5 litre bottle makes it a real pain for travellers to carry around, so fewer of these units are sold. A half-litre bottle however, can easily be stuffed into a bag or carried comfortably in the traveller's hand, which translates into more sales. So in these locations, usability - read conveniece - is valued over content!