upward spiral » UCD

Too much security is a pain for the user experience

Kshipra — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:41:11 +0000

Had to help Dad reactivate his online trading account with PIPIP bank….boy oh boy…first we had received an activation process by snail mail. The instructions were not clear on how to reactivate, there was only activation info. Used the password in that reactivation process and logged in…it worked…grrrrr…
Then had to fill in rest of the info provided in the activation sheet…again there was no mention whether it was activation or reactivation.
On submission there was a link to login again without logging me out..how did that happen?
After I logged in….again there was no info whether my reactivation was successful or not!
Seriously who build such interfaces which is not humanized and keep you anxious throughout the process.
And don’t even get me started on the multi Browser compatibility…Come on this is 2010
Talk about virtual keyboard..yeah they are secure but Imagine i strained my eyes to get a look at the keys….imagine my Dad would have to Zoom-in and click on them
Phew….I just logged in after an hour later to check and found the profile active.
Even after all this frustration if they hadn’t activated the account…I would have just closed that account for Dad

UX people need to be good storytellers.

Kshipra — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:08:01 +0000

ST014: Figure 5.6, originally uploaded by Rosenfeld Media.

How do you remember multiple logins & passwords?

Kshipra — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:47:26 +0000

Have you started with a hotmail account, a yahoo one later then rediff to rediffmail and next one to gmail?
So do you keep the same passwords for all of them? if not how would you remember?

How about facebook, flickr, technorati/delicious & linkedin accounts and many more?? Do you keep the same login? what if the name was already taken (suppose in delicious) and you have to change the login….how would you remember?

If there was an online application (i tried googling & googling) would you trust it to save such sensitive information?

I’m sure you save your password and your home PC/laptop but i’m sure you’ll need to backup somewhere else right?

where would you save it?

HCI hip-hop, anyone?

Kshipra — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:15:34 +0000

I am defintely not a Hip-hop person, i despise it like plague
but this was too irresistable to let go…

World’s First HCI Rap: “We Got It”
Source: OK/Cancel
February 6th, 2004 by Tom Chi :: see related comic

Check it: An OK/Cancel exclusive. We present to you “We Got It”, a song for the users. Representing our HCI, Usability, and Interaction Design brethren. Music and lyrics by our very own Tom Chi with vocals by Tom Chi and KC.

OK/Cancel – We Got It. Be prepared for serious HCI flava.

LYRICS

Yo — this is an OK/Cancel exclusive
for the first time in history: HCI and hiphop together.
for your educational pleasure
now check this while I wreck with some buttons and levers
give me 10 seconds and I’ll start this endeavor

HCI? yo we got it
UCD? yo we got it
focus on usability, yeh we’re on it
champion the user to keep the work honest
that’s the task that’s upon us
that’s the task that’s upon us

So you say got an application to build
Market niche you going to fill with a product that’s a killer
You got ‘funding in the millions and a team that is willing
to follow any schedule that you set before them

But wait a sec here, I don’t see any HCI,
Man you’re headed for more drama than “Days of ‘our Lives”
you’re gonna end up with something that users despise
lest you get their feedback throughout the project timeline

So sit down — and listen to me
No one wants see their product become ancient history
Before you start rushing to build those interfaces
your best bet is make a set :: of simple use cases

They should describe what users actually do
and if that’s unknown, run a contextual inquiry too
Because your interface will never be easy to follow
lest you build it to match up with their cognitive models

After that generate a lot of designs
run them by some users even just 2 at a time
iterate and iterate and soon you’ll oblitherate
any interfaces which are wack or inconsiderate

that will help you mitigate support costs or generate
website hit rates and orders. So check it:
you’ll be taking profits instead of mounting losses
‘Cause you brought us in at-the front of the process

HCI? yo we got it
UCD? yo we got it
focus on usability, yeh we’re on it
champion the user to keep the work honest
that’s the task that’s upon us
that’s the task that’s upon us

So you’re just starting out, and want to know more?
design of everyday things will help you get through the door
and it takes less than 7 seconds, if your logged on
to scope an alertbox over at useit.com

now peruse on over to Shneiderman and Cooper
along with Steve Krug they stop interface bloopers
and when you got to check where the user’s head is at
best pick up a copy of Beyer and Holtzblatt

perhaps you’re a coder needing HCI bad? we got
peeps that speak your language, like Spolsky and Winograd
and lastly if you’re asking to see the larger picture
read Rosenfeld and Morville, and have Tufte chart it later

HCI? yo we got it
UCD? yo we got it
focus on usability, yeh we’re on it
champion the user to keep the work honest
that’s the task that’s upon us
that’s the task that’s upon us

Alright, that will get ya’ll started.
Shout out to Snoop Toggy Togg, Eazy Z, LL Spool J, and other headz i didn’t get to mention here.

Userati unite – to keep the interactions clear. nice.
yo ima pass this over to KC now, check this out

Yo this KC in the UK
bringing usability from London to Van-city
if your ‘project goes pear-shaped then come get me
or perhaps that geezer the brilliant Tom Chi
all lightweights, clear out right
ok-cancel is here now

Agile and UCD, clash or collaboration?

Kshipra — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:33:05 +0000

After being conditioned to UCD in grad school, Agile or Extreme Programming can be quite unnerving when you initially start out in a company that practices this methodology.

Here are some resources out there to start an initial phase of “getting used to”

Adapting Usability Investigations for Agile User-Centered Design
by Desiree Sy
Source Journal of Usability Studies, Volume 2, Issue 3, May 2007, pp. 112-132
[Do download the pdf of the Article Adapting Usability Investigations for Agile User-Centered Design ]

Clash of the Titans: Agile and UCD
By Richard F. Cecil
Source UX matters, Published: December 18, 2006

How to incorporate user-centered design into agile development methodology
Activator: Pawan Vora
Source Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA 2004 Idea Markets)

I found a lot of resources in slideshare and added them to my favorites with the tag “agile”.