syrinx

The Imaginary Lifeboat finally got around to being published as an ebook. If you want to know the secret to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, look no further.

tags: religion life usability philosophy

or, one reason why I'm not working as a "usability professional" today...
The way science works is this.
You have a theory.
You can therefore describe, predict, and perhaps control behavior.
The way fascism works is this.
You have power.
Therefore you can enforce behavior.
I once participated in a user centered design training course development project in which I provided feedback to the course designers (based on my knowledge skills and experience as a PhD. in Curriculum and Instruction) that a certain part of their course would not work well, and suggested modifications.

tags: usability

because you'll go a long way on the road before you get a little courtesy, I always say...now, researchers say we'd all benefit from showing a little courtesy at the on-ramp and letting folks merge in smoothly...in other words, if everybody else would just be like me, we'd all be better off.
On a related topic, Stop and go traffic also occurs because cars are too close together and people brake to maintain an appropriate distance between cars, and this causes a ripple effect through the traffic on a road, until it causes traffic to come to a standstill if the amount of autos has reached a tipping point. ...And we all know that the reason this happens is because some folks drive well over the speed limit until they get blocked by folks they can't pass, and then they suddenly pull in front of people, causing them to brake, ...

tags: usability traffic humanfactors politeness

went to a fast food franchise connected to a gas station that advertised free wifi access.
Tried to locate the network and access the internet. Noticed there were several unsecured wireless networks available. At least one was related to the gas station franchise and required userid, login, and charged for usage on an hourly basis, various credit cards accepted.
Couldn't figure out which one was associated with the fast food franchise and couldn't get the browser to access the internet through connecting to the local wireless networks available...

tags: usability

Went to a gas station. Used the restroom. Washed my hands. Dried my hands. Meanwhile, employee from co-situated fast food franchise entered, used urinal, left as I was leaving, and re-entered fast food franchise employees only door. Did not wash his hands.
Needless to say, we did not purchase any food at that fast food franchise.
The sign and the sink need to be INSIDE the food franchise, and employees need to wash their hands whenever they come into the work area from outside the work area.

tags: usability