Good design dictates that objects we interact with ought provide feedback. In his seminal "The Design of Everyday Things," Don Norman defines an object's feedback as "some way of letting you know that the system is working on your request." He goes on to state that "Given the importance of feedback, it is amazing how many products ignore it."In my opinion, the kitchen stove is a prime offender. With a gas or electric stove, you can estimate how hot a burner is by the color of the flame or illumination level of the coil. However, the moment you place a pot or pan on top of it, your view is blocked. The burner knob is a poor substitute compared to the vibrant visuals of the heat source itself.In recent years, several manufacturers of barbecue grills have added LED lights to their burner knobs. Initially this was done to provide better visibility, when grilling at dusk, for instance. Moving beyond gimmickry, a company called Monument Grills saw an opportunity here to provide better feedback to the user. Their line of grills feature LED-backlit knobs where the color changes to signal what temperature window any given burner is within. The colors transition from bluish white, to white, to orange, and finally maxes out at red. While the execution is a bit garish, I think this method of visual feedback is great. Over time it would create a visual connection in your brain between the color of the dial and what you were cooking; for instance, blue for toasting buns, red for searing the burgers. In the demo below, you can see a (simulated) demonstration of what the transitions look like. I've cued the video up to the right spot: