Consider this another lame apology for lack of updates.
Apparently my job now includes "must know how to program in SQL" in its description.
As I have no clue how to do this I've been spending my time immersed in this odd world where things can be either "Left Joined" or "Right Joined" but never simply "Joined" or "Merged" or "Combined"....
...
Pray for me...
Monday, February 27, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Press... and hold?
Today's post is about how a small addition to a common object can make things much clearer.
This is the remote key fob for my Hyundai:
Top button locks the doors, middle button unlocks the doors, bottom button opens the trunk. Fairly obvious.
What isn't so obvious is that you can just press the top two buttons but you need to press and HOLD the trunk button for 2-3 seconds before it opens.
I've tossed my keys to at least three people to get something out of the trunk and its always the same thing:
LESSON LEARNED: The barest of instructions are sometimes required, even if it's a single word.
This is the remote key fob for my Hyundai:
Top button locks the doors, middle button unlocks the doors, bottom button opens the trunk. Fairly obvious.
What isn't so obvious is that you can just press the top two buttons but you need to press and HOLD the trunk button for 2-3 seconds before it opens.
I've tossed my keys to at least three people to get something out of the trunk and its always the same thing:
- Press the button.
- Tug on the trunk lid.
- Look confused at the fob.
- Press the button again.
- Tug on the trunk lid again.
- Look either mad or confused.
- Turn to me in confusion.
- "Press and hold it."
- They do, trunk opens.
- "That's annoying."
What would fix this? A simple addition to the trunk button. Add the word "HOLD" over the picture of the car.
LESSON LEARNED: The barest of instructions are sometimes required, even if it's a single word.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Mea Culpa Maxima
In other words, I'm sorry.
The bad news is that I promised a new post more than two weeks ago and have utterly failed to deliver.
The good news is that the reason I have neglected to do so is that I have been buried in an avalanche of research which has required me to plow through some of the most horrific examples of UI and screen design imaginable.
Trust me... if you want to see truly awful design, turn to the old-school heavy industries.
Now that I've finally been able to come up for air I should be able to pay more attention to this blog.
On a side note, I was honored to learn that Paul Sherman is now following me on Twitter. I've long been a fan of his site www.usabilityblog.com and looked to it as an inspiration for starting my own little slice of the web here. So- WELCOME.
More substantial post coming tomorrow- I promise.
LESSON LEARNED: Life does not take your plans into consideration.
The bad news is that I promised a new post more than two weeks ago and have utterly failed to deliver.
The good news is that the reason I have neglected to do so is that I have been buried in an avalanche of research which has required me to plow through some of the most horrific examples of UI and screen design imaginable.
Trust me... if you want to see truly awful design, turn to the old-school heavy industries.
Now that I've finally been able to come up for air I should be able to pay more attention to this blog.
On a side note, I was honored to learn that Paul Sherman is now following me on Twitter. I've long been a fan of his site www.usabilityblog.com and looked to it as an inspiration for starting my own little slice of the web here. So- WELCOME.
More substantial post coming tomorrow- I promise.
LESSON LEARNED: Life does not take your plans into consideration.
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