Ancient Greece was one of the more technologically advanced societies in early human history. They used complex equations to add subtle curves to their architecture creating the illusion of them being level and straight. The concepts of Western philosophy were born there in the minds of people like Socrates and Plato. Their religion, art, culture, and medicine was so well developed that the Romans used them as reference to improve their own society. Taking all of this into account, it’s not surprising then that in Ancient Greece we can find some early examples of user experience design. More specifically by taking a look at their pottery.
We’ve uncovered a wide variety of pottery styles from Ancient Greece. While some designs were simply decorative or ceremonial in nature, there are many examples of designs that can be attributed to either making a task easier for someone using the pottery or to ensure the pottery is better able to perform its designated function.
Epinetron
This design was worn over the user’s thigh to improve the process of preparing wool for weaving. Wearing an epinetron would make working with wool less bothersome for the user’s leg as it would protect their thigh when combing the wool, similar to how a thimble protects your finger when sewing. It also served to protect the wearer’s clothes from any excess lanolin in the wool. The top surface was often carved with a pattern creating a rough surface that helps pull the wool fibers along in the same direction.
Hydria
This design is one of the most common vessels found among Ancient Greek pottery. It was used mainly to store water or other liquids and had three handles — two horizontal handles on either side that made it easy to carry, and one vertical handle in between the two that made so one person was able pour from it by themselves. Later versions of these also had flatter sides that allowed for more contact when held against the body, making carrying them to and from places easier.
Amphora
This design was also used for storage but has a much more narrow profile. Having the handles come out no farther than the widest part of the pot made it so they could be tightly packed together allowing for both safer transport and more storage in smaller areas. The bottom will typically come to a point instead of being flat making it easy to “stake” them into soft ground to stand upright.
Kothon (also known as an Exaleiptron)
This design is used to hold expensive things such as perfume or fine oil used for anointing practices. It’s a much smaller, handheld size and has a sharply inverted lip to prevent any spillage so as not to waste any precious liquid. It sometimes came with a lid to protect its contents when not in use.
Krater
This design was used to mix water and wine. It’s large size accommodated more liquid meaning more wine could be diluted at a time, limiting the number of times someone would need to fill and empty it. The wide mouth made easier to then take the diluted wine out with a ladle or other vessel instead of having to lift and pour the krater which would be extremely heavy when full.
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