STC UUX Community Newsletter

Virginia Roads - Brandon Beltz

My biggest system pet peeve is the design of Northern Virginia roads (or lack thereof). Need I say more? I have a theory that Mapquest secretly funds the people who design Northern Virginia roads because I have to use Mapquest even to find the nearest grocery store! 100 points to whoever can name how many different names Virginia 28 has.

Door Handles - Katherine Muse

Pet peeve: door handles. Some (single) doors have a bar that goes straight across and so just by looking at it. It is hard to figure out which side of the bar to push on in order to open the door. Also, sometimes establishments (e.g., restaurants) put pull bars on doors that are supposed to be pushed open. It just goes against intuition! I have seen several people mistakenly pull on the door and then realize it doesn't work that way.

USA's Measurement System - Ewart Jan de Visser

Long live the liter! The worst design on earth, in my opinion, is the USA’s measurement system. As a European I have trouble dealing with items such as inches, gallons, miles, and feet. According to the U.S. Metric Association (indeed, such an organization exists) American students are often confused by the mishmash of measurement units. In addition, the names of the units are not flexible. What is the next smallest thing to a mile? A smile? I think it is time to embrace the Metric Conversion Act passed in 1975 and start to reject the ounces and the pounds. We don’t need the extra weight of spending time on converting units.

Auto Formatting - David Cades

Pet peeve: MS Word Auto Formatting. We have all had the experience of typing up a document and then the program takes over and tries to guess what type of formatting (i.e., paragraph spacing, text font, bulleting system) we want. I would say it is correct about 25% of the time, and even that might be generous. We are so far gone from the days of the mindless typewriter, which has been replaced with automation with all the best of intentions, but no opportunity to correct it. Numerous times I have had to fudge formatting to look similar because the program would not let me have direct control. I would not mind the system making suggestions or even at times implementing ideas, but the user needs to have the last say, because sometimes we just want it that way.

Losing Details - Raj Ratwani

Travelocity and some other travel sites reset your travel details when you click the back button on your browser after the initial search is complete. This can drive you crazy if you have flexible travel plans and are trying to find the most convenient flight. For example, if I am searching for a flight from DC to Los Angeles, I have to enter my departure and arrival city and departure dates. Once the initial search is complete, if I hit the back button to change any travel details (such as departure airport), all of this information is gone!

Double entry systems - Julie Naga

Double information entry system on the US Postal Services automated shipping system in each branch's lobby. It is a touchscreen interface but, there is also a number keypad on the adjoining surface. A gentleman begins the process of going through the various screens and reaching a portion where he has to type numbers in. There is a touchscreen number keypad provided but the other keypad is right there. He attempts to input numbers via the keypad. The machine gives him a non-specific error feedback. He keeps trying the keypad, getting frustrated. If two systems of input exist, both should allow you to input or be specific otherwise!