Everyday things - signage

Wow this is confusing..

At the air port last weekend I saw this sign as I walked past. I was wondering if you crossed the line whilst smoking, would road spikes or guards appear..

The icon along side smoking permitted could be a cigarette if I stretched my imagination...

And if I was standing up smoking, I'd be stationary. More likely i'd be looking out at the street scape with my back to the call and wouldnt be looking down at these signs at feet level.

Walking I may take it in as I might scanning the pavement as I walked.

Are these signs for overworked sniffer dogs or small children?

What happens if you cross the line?

Sharks with lasers perhaps...

interaction design redux - I told you so

Back in March, I was commenting on a visual design versus interaction design issue.

To recap: There's a website we're designing where you can tag products for comparison later. Whilst the 'add' control its above the fold of the screen in the product page, the list of what you collect and the access to the comparison screen are at the very bottom of content pages. Nothing indicates how to keep track or retrieve what you have tagged.

Well after extensive user testing, people did not find the controls to the application at the bottom of the page below the fold.

This post on the IXDA forum sums its up as if they had known about my project. And I quote... "Several screens had action buttons below the fold, but not above. Customers didn't scroll down and couldn't figure out how to continue to the next screen. " This was back in 2005 and unless we've made a huge leap in user behavior it still stands. Or, the screen design should invite you to scroll (provide a call to action etc etc)

I outlined the problem with it at the concept, schematics and final design points. This is why you need interaction design education in multidisciplinary teams. This one is so close to old school my heads spinning as to why you would break the convention on aesthetic grounds.

Now its coded and tests appallingly with users..

When I let the designer know, they suggested having controls that scrolls the page down to where the actual controls are. on a long content page this would be really disconcerting and raises a whole raft of other issues. (loss of user control has long been a usability no no, see Neilsens pillars er heuristics, particularly on user control).

All people in my testing wanted and expected the controls and notifications above the fold of the page, close to where the first control is.

Arg.. Sigh. Why didn't we do it?

The controls got in the way of the designers 'aesthetic vision' of the page.

Imagine putting an interior designer in charge of creating Three Mile Islands control panels. They would look great, but end up melting down. This is web site design, not 'Project runway'.

Signage and usability - an everyday things post

Air New Zealand recently announced inflight entertainment (link in new window). They had a campaign to announce it to people not in flight, but in transit on buses. Heres a quick critique of its effectiveness:

• The bus campaign advertising you can see on two seats one with a hand hold and one without. The the handle bar blocks the view of the picture in the front instance.
  
• The text, at the bottom of the advertisement is small and hard to read, even from a sitting height.
• At night its even more difficult to read as the lighting the bus is quite dim. Small text illegible in bus light when commuters, working or otherwise at peak hour are traveling.
• Physically it's a very uncomfortable to read. Bring at the extremity of your vision, the text makes you eyes move to their most furthest downwards 'setting'.

People may not even know what the ad is for and so the advert is rendered ineffective.


Solution (one possible):

• Place text in the middle of the advertisement and make larger so its easy to scan from a sitting height.
• Test with end users (use eye-tracking) in the setting and lighting its meant for, not on the screen in a design studio.
  

Designers should have got bus seat dimensions (distance from floor, between seats etc) and tested it for readability and advertisement recall with friends, customers etc.

Everyday things

I love the books 'The design of Everyday things' and 'Emotional Design' by Don Norman. Inspired by that I'm taking photos of things that could do with some user experience love..

I love this sign I saw in Auckland, if I was looking for the train station and was in a hurry, where would I go? (the full size view opens in a new window)