On usability and the telephone ring

Last week xkcd had a great post of something I've been lecturing on for years. I've staunchly argued that all phones, mobile or otherwise, should emit a sound like a ringing bell when there is an incoming call. The Comic:



The issue is that the ringing bell sound has been the only option for the entire history of the device, including of a century of human usage. It's extremely easy to recognize that sound, even for very small children, and even in a crowd of other noise. All of society knows how to recognize it, what it means, and how to respond.

Enter: the custom ringtone, which obliterates all of that excellent usability. My wife puts a top-40 hit on her phone, and when we hear it at the mall on the PA system, she reaches for her purse. When her phone rings in the car, she turns down the stereo. It's a mess.

If you need custom tones because you just can't bear to let AT&T only collect their standard $50/month from you, and you must fill their coffers with a few bucks every time you like a new song, then please indulge yourselves by assigning tones to SMS, email, PTT, alarm, IM, and other alerts. Those don't have a rich history of standard usage to destroy.