interface inYerFace

You autocomplete me.

I guess self-actualization isn’t everything Maslow cracked it up to be.

For an explanation of how Live Search, including Google Suggest, works, see here.

Thanks to Bianca for the find.

pity this busy interface, door un-knob

I encountered this door latch recently at Tria Cafe on 11th and Spruce. I’m sure Donald Norman, Steve Krug, and
E. E. Cummings would all have something to say about this. But none of them are here, so I will share my thoughts.

The conceptual model for this door latch is several notches past a just noticeable difference, so it necessitates an explanatory diagram. The diagram, however, is the saving grace of this interface, simply because it shows the user very plainly how to do the two things one would need to do with the door of a single-stall public restroom: 1. Lock the door upon entering. 2. [Unlock and] open the door upon exiting.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Liza Potts, it’s that if a common interface merits a technical explanation, it’s poorly designed. The sheer fact that I must consult an explanatory diagram to operate a door latch in order to ensure that no unfortunate soul interrupts me whilst I am emptying my bladder is my case-in-point.

Do I need to mention that most of the people attempting to use this door un-knob will most likely be inebriated with delicious wine? I’ve had a glass of zippy white followed by a funky red, and now I must decipher an infographic to lock the bathroom door?? You’ve added an unnecessary step to my public-restroom user workflow, and all I really want to do is urinate.

One can only conclude that the architect must have been under the influence of several funky reds himself when he sat down to design this bathroom.

Suggested uses for this interface:

• Landing a plane
• Keeping your diary safe from prying eyes
• Getting your two Euros back from the locker at the Munich Hauptbahnhof
• Extra security for the indecisive hermit

Gmail labels, remixed

Along with many others, I was skeptical at first. I felt just like this person:

But the smartees at Gmail are right—I don’t need to see all 34 of my labels. I’ve narrowed it down to seven and it only took a minute.

I love the idea of dragging a label onto a message or vice versa, but for the most part, I’ll probably stick to using the keyboard shortcuts (“L” to label, “V” to move).

However, I still agree with many dissatisfied former right-side label users, that we should have a choice (or at the least, a heads-up).

Now all I want to know is:

1. What happened to auto reply-all?

2. Can I move my gCal and gDocs widgets to the right side now??

Cancel or OK??

Wait, what?

Which part am I canceling or which am I okaying?

(Thanks to @edw for pointing this out to me.)

about:blank

The structured bits and atoms we encounter everyday exhibit both subtle and provocative qualities. Interfaces are meant to be used but are not always useful or usable. They can evoke the whole gamut of emotions—from :D, to OMG!!, to GRRR!!!—and I intend to explore the how and why of these interactions.