ChittahChattah Quickies
October 27th, 2009
- Police in Dallas give out citations to drivers for not speaking English – While they are still investigating what went on, there's a possibility that at least part of this was bad UI design: "Kunkle said his department's computer system for citations has a pull-down menu that includes a law requiring drivers of commercial vehicles to speak English." That's true for commercial but not true for regular drivers, and depending on how the software is used, that option may appear as a possible action that the police can take when citing a driver.
- London Pub Night, November 2 – We'll be at the Riverfront bar & kitchen @ BFI. Hope to see you there!
Tags:
choice, citation, dallas, design, driving, english, hispanic, interface, language, law, legal, menu, option, police, political, pulldown, racism, risks, texas, ticket
ChittahChattah Quickies
July 1st, 2009
- Lou Rosenfeld revisits an old engagement where the client sought to dissuade usage – What they told me was that they didn't really want to make it easy for veterans—those people risking their lives for their country—to learn about the health benefits that they were entitled to. And that taxpayers had committed to funding. All to save money—and for what??
IT issue? Not. It was an issue of business model design, and this particular business model was shrouded in a sick morality emanating from the top levels of the VA's management structure. Absolutely immorally, shamefully, and horribly sick.
[With the theme of persuasion, manipulation, and user-centeredness floating around lately, good to consider an example where the organization goals are 180 degrees from the user's supposed goals]
- Citations for California drivers not using hands-free are on the rise – Seems like there was good compliance when the law was first passed but the numbers are climbing back up. One might think the best way to drive adoption of a product/service/behavior is to make it legally mandated but people are citing the poor user experience with Bluetooth headsets as a reason/rationalization for ignoring the law. "Sometimes, it can be more dangerous to figure out your Bluetooth than just to pick up the phone."
Tags:
architecture, bluetooth, California, car, chp, citation, design, drivers, driving, enforcement, headset, ia, influence, information, interaction, interface, law, legal, manipulation, navigation, persuasion, reliability, rosenfeld, site, ticket, usability