Top Ten Persistent Design Flaws 1067
jlouderb writes "Bruce Tognazzini former human interface evangalist at Apple, and currently a principal at web design firm Neilsen Norman Group has begun cataloging the top ten design computing flaws that we just live with with, but shouldn't have to. Only seven are found at his article, and (not surprisingly) three are Mac related. My favorite: the mysteriously dimmed menu options. Why are those darned things grey anyway?"
add one more (Score:2, Funny)
The #1 Design Flaw (Score:5, Funny)
It Seems (Score:1, Funny)
Persistent Design Flaw I Find Annoying... (Score:2, Funny)
Not forgetting.... (Score:2, Funny)
Dimmed menus (Score:5, Funny)
10 persisting people design flaws (Score:5, Funny)
#2-Thinking that computers do "magic", or at least should do to not have design flaws
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10- Making top ten list without having 10 things to list
Re:Number 5 (Score:3, Funny)
And what if you wanted a picture tour of the barns of british nobility?
Design flaw #11 (Score:1, Funny)
Design flaw # 11 (Score:5, Funny)
Using very large golden gradient shadowed GIFs each worth over 4K to represent the numbers 1 - 10 in a "Top Ten Persistent Design Flaws" webpage. It not only looks ugly, makes the website slower consuming more bandwidth, but it also takes away a good chunk of the left side of the page.
Cheers,
Adolfo
Re:Number 5 (Score:2, Funny)
I bet the bookstore might have something like that in its stock... ;-)
He has such a hard on about the Dock (Score:5, Funny)
Duration: [in years]: seems like a thousand centuries ago...
Supplier: Tog
Alias: "I have no concept of the difference between objective and subjective usability complaints."
Product: Tog's parents.
Bug: Tog's perceptual abilities.
Class of error: Intellectualy density.
Principle: "My opinions are holy."
Proposed Fix: Zoloft
Discussion: Some of the things he lists as flaws in the Dock are things that I acutally like about the Dock. It's a very subjective thing. Some of the things he laments losing from Mac OS 9 were not the bee's knees he seems to imagine they were. He was just used to them, is all.
Bug first observed: Can't check the date on the original Dock whinefest because his site is slashdotted. It happened some time after Tog ceased to be relevant.
Observer: Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law
Bug reported to supplier: No. No point. You cannot argue with self-proclaimed learned wisemen.
Bug on list since: Whinefest first published.
Re:I agree on the dimmed menus (Score:4, Funny)
Principles and lunches (Score:5, Funny)
It appears that everyone is guilty of having a framework. This guy, you, me, everyone. We think that what we experience in the world, and what we think about it, is all there is. We're all pretty small, even the wisest of us.
In this case, a Mac guy says the user is in charge, and thinks it's a law of nature.
Microsoft treats users as a renewable resource, to be used and reused as needed.
We Unix types, on the other hand, know that users are an unfortunate side effect.
Re:Some of these things are valid... (Score:3, Funny)
BTW, that was sarcasm. I 100% agree that learning to use a computer is exactly that, learning. If someone can learn what traffic signs mean, I think they can learn to use a computer.
Oberammergaueralpenkräuterdelikatessenfr.. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Some of these things are valid... (Score:5, Funny)
"The nipple is the ONLY intuitive interface. After that, it's all learned"
Re:Dimmed menus (Score:1, Funny)
His name is Joe and he lives at 103 East Livingston Street. While you're at it, kick him in the o-hos once for me for breaking my X-Wing fighter in the 5th grade.
Re:Power Failure Crash... (Score:3, Funny)
but I love the free-verse format of your post.
Really, all
and main article submissions!
should be done that way.
The editors might do something then.
Mel would've liked that.
Re:DC supply in the case? It's been done. (Score:3, Funny)
Because it would cost money.
Seriously though, I wonder if this guy also bitches about the fact that his car stops when he runs out of gas.
Re:10 persisting people design flaws (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I agree on the dimmed menus (Score:3, Funny)
Re:On the Written Word (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Persistent Design Flaw I Find Annoying... (Score:2, Funny)
No wonder there are so many buffer overrun problems in MS software. "(c) Microsoft" should be 14 bytes (with the null terminator).
Re:From that mysterious text called the article: (Score:2, Funny)
Wanted to try the grayed out option but thought it was way too expensive for you?
You can do that now! Grayed out option at only $1.90 per use.
Your best deals are HERE
You have enjoyed other options and wish for a different effect? Grayed out option can make it happen.
UNBELIEVABLE! GRAYED OUT OPTION AT ONLY $1.90 PER USE
Say NO! to all those other options and your disappointment after "a messed up use". You don't have to be content with the standard results of a regular option. Get GRAYED OUT OPTION now to ensure the whole day of joyful computing.
You should at least give it a try. Especially when we offer large discounts for bulk orders and make incredible deals for returning customers. Get grayed out option now!!!
Re:Number 5 (Score:3, Funny)
NAME: newyorktimes.com
ADDRESS: 199.239.137.217
go to http://newyorktimes.com and it redirects you to nytimes.com...
I am being pulled in by a troll, aren't I?
Re:Some of these things are valid... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In My Book... (Score:2, Funny)
No... You have to be connected to everything, all the time, everywhere. You're not living life to the fullest until you have a cell phone which allows you to do the following...
Talk on the phone
Play video games
Send and receive text messages
Track your global position
Surf the internet
Watch video
Check voice mails
Listn to MP3's
Receive satellite radio
Re:Duh! Award Nominee (Score:5, Funny)
Re:MOD UP Re:Some of these things are valid... (Score:1, Funny)
So Michael Jackson is a Mac user? He just thought the baby would eject?
Re:I agree on the dimmed menus (Score:3, Funny)
Re:ejecting disks (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I agree on the dimmed menus (Score:5, Funny)
No, if you really want to confuse the user, simply create the menu dynamically, picking 6 items apparently at random to put on the menu. Microsoft can't be wrong here, they have user-interface guidelines and everything. After a few seconds, when the user has had time to read most of the menu items, change them again, this time picking 12 items at random.
If you can, use two columns, and put an animation in so that the menu takes half a second to appear.
Re:Principles and lunches (Score:2, Funny)
Re:On the Written Word (Score:3, Funny)
Re:ejecting disks (Score:5, Funny)
Re:MOD UP Re:Some of these things are valid... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Some of these things are valid... (Score:3, Funny)
Oh, wait.. that kind of nipple..
Eleventh October (Score:3, Funny)
The ELEVENTH October in 2004? Wow! October has been busy this year.
Re:ejecting disks (Score:3, Funny)
Man, I so know what you mean. Yesterday I clicked on this random icon to see what it did and my iBook threw me through a crowded shopping centre at 90mph killing 41 school kids and some guy selling baloons.
Re:*applaud* (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Some of these things are valid... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Some of these things are valid... (Score:3, Funny)
Which also explains a lot about Microsoft.