Pat’s Point of View

You often hear people refer to the tendency for Apple to hide functionality from the user. Most recently the iPhone and it’s gestural interface has been the source of complaints from users who discover stuff they didn’t know they could do (eg swipe to delete an email from your inbox).

Well I’ve found another one whilst driving to a business meeting the other day. When you stop at a set of lights and think it would be handy to look up your business associate’s number to give them a call to let them know you’ll be late. But as soon ad you grab your iPhone to perform that task, the traffic lights will change to green and you won’t be able to find the information you need (unless you keeping using your phone while driving but I don’t recommend that).

It also works when trying to use the maps app to check your destination, or anything else you might really need to do while stopped at traffic lights.

Go on, give it a go :)

(image credit: http://nittygriddy.com/2010/04/17/traffic-light-changer-iphone-app/)

Yesterday I presented a short session at Oz-IA 2010, entitled Five user research methods you’ve probably never seen…

I departed from the norm and rather than talk about the five methods I listed in my presentation outline, I went for something a bit more cheeky and light-hearted; the dangers of field research! The idea came to me because so many people I know who have done user or market research have told me stories about the weird and scary situations they’ve found themselves in out in the field. (In particular Stephen Cox and Raymond Van Der Zalm gave me some great anecdotes!)

I got some decent laughs so I was pretty pleased—and relieved—about that. I ended with a practical demonstration of the tongue in cheek self-defense techniques I had talked about, for which I must say a huge thank you to Gary Barber and Oliver Weidlich who volunteered to take part!

A few people have asked me if I’m going to talk about the five methods I originally said I would, and yes I will as there is obviously interest in those topics! Stay tuned.

Introducing “Chick Flix Shortcut”. Guys, no longer do you have to watch chick movies to earn points with the ladies, just visit this website and get the key points you need to know:

• what soft-as-mush, pretty boy is the star?
• should you have cried at the end?
• should you have been affected at a fundamental level (eg volunteered for a kids charity, saved a sea kitten, hugged a tree, joined Greenpeace)
• was that, like, the best kiss or what?!
• who’s the new McSteamy?

You’ll know exactly which films to mention to come across all metrosexual and sensitive. And if you’ve used the “you complete me” line already and you need more ammunition, ChickFlixShortcut is just what you need.

Don’t waste 3 weeks watching The Curious Case of whatever the hell it was called…something about buttons?, just consult ChickFlixShortcut.com and you’re all set. Here’s what some of our members had to say:

“Thanks ChickFlixShortcut, my girlfriend thought I was such a nice guy”

“The tips about making yourself cry were genius! Put that shit on YouTube, please!”

“A bunch of roses: $70. A rental DVD: $6. Never having to watch another click flick again: priceless!”

“Even if you fall asleep, you can just recite the CFS ‘memorable quotes’ and she’ll never know the difference!”

Other features include wiki-style collaboration to produce a useful yet as concise as humanly possible synopsis of every film (at last, a valuable use for web 2.0!). For example, we’ve collectively whittled down Thelma and Louise to “two chicks, a car, Brad Pitt’s ass and a cliff”.

And of course, guys can help each other out by voting on which chick flicks give the best results. Just listen to this happy voter:

“5 stars! I got to watch football all weekend after agreeing to rent this crap movie for the missus on Friday night!”.

Best of all, you’ll get vital alerts regarding those films you should avoid at all costs. You know the ones, those which might result in a weekend full of “long walks along beaches” or worse…the “so when are we going to get married?!” conversation.

Not convinced? ChickFlixShortcut.com is not just about movies, we also have an impressive database of TV shows, ads and infomercials!:

“I looked up CFS and got the whole story arc for Grey’s Anatomy Season 5 in about 3 minutes, it was awesome! I SMS’d it to my best mate and he never has to do dishes again. Ever!”

“I scored so much after telling women how I sometimes feel like I need to reconnect too, and how a nice warm mug of Nescafe and a comfy pillow usually does the trick. Hah! I’ve never even watched that stupid f***king ad!”

“When I started on how those lying bastards who make mid-morning infomercials just lie, lie lie…it was gold!”

We’ve also taken the user generated content to an all new level, with integration with Twitter and Facebook. At the click of a button you can create an automated stream of chick-flick injected mushiness that will surpass even that big wussy from Sleepless in Seattle. (But don’t worry it’ll be completely separate from your real account that you use for the boys). Here’s a sample:

Sam_Baldwin_1234: just cried during “Bride Wars”. I need a hug! #romcom

Coming soon! ChickFlixShortcut iPhone app

Never be caught off guard again, if you’re out and about and she mentions some lame ass movie that you’ve never heard of and would probably start carving away at your wrists after the first 10 minutes, don’t worry just consult CFS on your mobile and you’ll be in like Flynn.

[no this isn't real, it's just my start-up business idea for today]

More than likely your content management system (CMS) will have many usability problems if you just use it “out of the box”. Having been involved in a number of projects tasked with implementing a these types of systems—including content management systems for websites, intranets and wikis for knowledge management—I’ve noticed that there are a number of key areas of the user interface that frequently need fixing from a usability point of view.

All the usability tips you see here link back to general usability principles, and they apply to any software package or web application, it just seems that they are an issue in most CMS implementations.

Use these tips to improve your current CMS or to help you when implementing a new one.

1. If in doubt, leave it out

The user interface should be devoid of everything that is not necessary in terms of users completing their tasks. Most CMS products will have capabilities in excess of what is being used, but don’t show it if they don’t use it. And many products will have optional extras and upgrade possibilities, so your version might not have all the bells and whistles. For better or worse, some vendors will leave a stub to these missing features (possibly to help encourage up-sell). Don’t show it if they can’t use it.

Use CSS to hide stuff if you have to, but clean up that interface. We’re talking about main navigation, links, and irrelevant details spat out by the system. This also applies to words; as Steve Krug said “Krug’s third law of usability: get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half what’s left”. Each page title, sub heading, button label, navigation label, form field label, icon and graphic should be useful and meaningful, clearly communicating what it should.

(more…)

I recently saw a post to a mailing list where someone was asking for a consultant with expertise in Typo3, an open source CMS. Now, I know nothing about this CMS, and I’m sure it has its pros and cons, but isn’t that a strange name for something whose primary purpose is to allow people to type in content?

Talk about tempting fate, you’re almost willing your users to make a typo! I’m sure there’s some psychological pattern of subliminal influence that will result.

It’s like calling a telephone “Stutter” or a brand of high heels named “Tumble”.

This guy is my hero…

Don’t you just love the clever names people come up with for their businesses? I have taken note of some real beauties lately, including:

• Like Hart Spa – spa and beauty salon in Leichhardt
• Dough – pizza joint in Abbotsford
• Hair to Toe – beauty salon in Drummoyne
• Curl Up And Dye – another salon (can you see a pattern?), this time in Castle Hill
• Of course there’s the classic Dial-a-Dump, which I was surprised to learn is only a rubbish removal service :)
• Shu-Fiks – shoe repair store in Rhodes
• Free Stuff – additive free mini-mart in Five Dock

I’ve even thought of a few myself:

• Suds’n'Surf – combined laundromat and internet cafe
• KalashniCafe – even revolutionaries need good coffee. Note: it helps if you pronounce Cafe as “kaf” (like the Brits do) rather than “kafay”

Now that I’ve mentioned it you’ll probably notice them everywhere. It’s almost as infectious as ‘reading’ car license plates (eg IAM-26C = “I am too sexy”)…once you start you can’t not notice (but that’s a whole other story :)

Surely this is the bestest title for a paper:

"What a f-ing system! Send ’em all to the same place and then expect us to stop ’em hitting": Making Technology Work in Air Traffic Control

Sounds like one of those juicy quotes you get from staff interviews :)

Received in a recent email, surely written by an Englishman.

Merry Christmas

Symptom	Fault	Action
Feet cold and wet.	Glass being held at incorrect angle.	Rotate glass so that open end points toward ceiling.
Feet warm and wet.	Improper bladder control.	Stand next to nearest dog, complain about house training.
Drink unusually pale and tasteless.	Glass empty.	Get someone to buy you another drink.
Opposite wall covered with fluorescent lights.	You have fallen over backward.	Have yourself lashed to bar.
Mouth contains cigarette butts.	You have fallen forward.	See above.
Alcohol tasteless, front of your shirt is wet.	Mouth not open, or glass applied to wrong part of face.	Retire to restroom, practice in mirror.
Floor blurred.	You are looking through bottom of empty glass.	Get someone to buy you another drink.
Floor moving.	You are being carried out.	Find out if you are being taken to another bar.
Room seems unusually dark.	Bar has closed.	Confirm home address with bartender.
Taxi suddenly takes on colourful aspect and textures.	Alcohol consumption has exceeded personal limitations.	Cover mouth.
Everyone looks up to you and smiles.	You are dancing on the table.	Fall on somebody cushy-looking.
Drink is crystal-clear.	It’s water. Somebody is trying to sober you up.	Punch him.
Hands hurt, nose hurts, mind unusually clear.	You have been in a fight.	Apologize to everyone you see, just in case it was them.
Don’t recognize anyone, don’t recognize the room you’re in.	You’ve wandered into the wrong party.	See if they have free alcohol.
Your singing sounds distorted.	The drink is too weak.	Have more alcohol until your voice improves.
Don’t remember the words to the song.	Drink is just right.	Play air guitar.

I spotted this voodoo knife holder in a store on Parramatta Rd the other day. It would make the perfect gift for that phsycho male-bashing woman that you just don’t know what to get for Chirstmas.

There’s even a well placed knife spot in the guts!

$200 might be a bit much though, considering it won’t even hold a decent sized cleaver :)