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

I believe i have the average height of an average Indian female. Now, standing inside a bus, can be pretty painful if your hand just reaches when you need to hold and you got to painfully stretch your hand and stand!

I shifted from my 2-wheeler to opt for the comfy ride of the Volvo from work to home, (also due to stress & hyper-tension caused by the honkers and the undisciplined traffic!) but Bravo! to the traffic cops and volunteers, they are doing  us a big favor by managing the ever-growing mammoth traffic in Bangalore.

Do you get nervous standing being a first timer at a different bank’s ATM thinking about how the interface will be like (hoping the same as your old bank’s ATM interface) & how you would take out the cash with ease and take pride that you would have taken the least time inside the ATM than any of the members of the queue?

OK…i’m in, now what? i swipe the card, then i look at the monitor….stare to figure where to ‘touch’…i realize unlike  PIPIP bank’s ATM there is no buttons alongside the monitor, should i press the numbers or should i touch the monitor?….yes it is the monitor…..boy, if they were recording me on the security cam, i’m sure they would have had a blast!! and i’m taking more time than usual!

People behind me might think what a ‘dork’ i am….keeping them waiting. The information architecture is similar so i have no problem navigating and then i do the needful of withdrawing the cash.
Now my dilemma is, am i out the system? (it is very clear in my previous bank’s ATM) what if i am not logged out? i can’t figure out from the screen because it is showing me something that i cant seem to comprehend …because i’m tensed about getting out there as fast as possible. Now i don’t want the next person behind me to come and withdraw all my cash right? so i press multiple buttons and leave!

Phew!!
what was that??
Did i just behave like that? or do people generally freak out every time they need to use a new system?

How many of the people you know have email other than their names on it? I am sure you also know people who have ‘creative’ names for their email IDs. I’m sure they have their disadvantages to it. Most of the times the emails are considered as Spam by email engines to be subsequently filtered to the Spam/Junk folder. I’m sure many of my mails have ended up there

For example: I add friends on chat, the chat engine (experience had with Gtalk) just displays my email ID and not my name. How would anyone who didn’t know that the email ID was mine accept me in the first place? I would first have to send them an email informing them about the email ID and then wait for their acceptance, just increasing my work load in my hectic lifestyle

How about adding people on social networking sites? How do you know that the person you found had accepted or ignored your invitation? What if the person had not logged on since ages or was unable to retrieve his/her password; would you treat as a rejection?

In this hectic lifestyle do we really keep in touch with everyone we know? We just update our profiles to let people know we are alive and kicking!!

Again and again, you must be bumping into them!!
Practice maketh the person perfect i guess!

Source Smashing Magazine

• 10 Principles Of Effective Web Design
  posted on January 31st, 2008
• Five More Principles Of Effective Web Design
  posted on April 24th, 2008
• 5 Principles And Ideas Of Setting Type On The Web
  posted on April 23rd, 2008

Source Spoonfed Photoshop

• Create a Sleek, High-End Web Design from Scratch
  In Interface by Collis
• 9 Essential Principles for Good Web Design
  In Designing by Collis
• 7 Principles of Effective Icon Design
  In Articles by Sean Hodge