06-09-2017, 11:02 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-09-2017, 11:02 AM by danbrotherston.)
(06-09-2017, 10:44 AM)SammyOES2 Wrote:(06-09-2017, 09:37 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: Expertise has it's place, but when it comes to users, the user is always right. Contrary to what some companies might argue, you cannot hold a phone wrong, if the phone doesn't work how you hold it, then the phone is poorly designed. Just like, when you push on a door only to realize it was a pull door, the problem lies with the door ('s designer) not you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY96hTb8WgI
This idea can be applied to our transportation design. If most of the traffic on the road is exceeding the speed limit, the road is designed poorly...etc etc etc.
I agree with this sometimes but not always. The door example is a favorite of mine, so I'm with you there. But:
"If most of the traffic on the road is exceeding the speed limit, the road is designed poorly...etc etc etc."
by the above logic we could just as easily say the speed limit is wrong because clearly the majority of users are fine going faster. The reality is that users are often ignorant/misguided/dumb/overconfident/etc. and the vast majority of them can be 'wrong' and the 'experts' right.
I would argue the speed limit is part of the design of the road, so that is a valid interpretation. But if we raise the speed limit, our problems instead become "the road is too dangerous because speeds are too high".
And absolutely, users are all of those things. The point is, the design must accommodate those things.
I was mainly trying to point out that we cannot blame users for using something wrong, if they use it wrong, it's because designers failed to design it so it's use is obvious and intuitive.
I think what you're referring to when you say the vast majority are wrong and experts are right isn't about using, it's about designing. People tend to think they know better than designers, which ironically, may very well lead to the bad designs which causes them to act wrong anyway. Like people often think designing something for higher speeds makes it safer. Many things about design are counterintuitive.