Alertbox: Best Application Designs
Jakob Nielsen <[email protected]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:30:45 +0000
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Winning app UIs include domain-specific solutions that allow
humans to focus on deeper issues while the software takes care of
the mechanics.
> http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3D538d934a891681a5d8=
50bb4e5&id=3Dbedff44c70&e=3Df405d0f72c
Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox for April 23: Best Application Designs
__________________________________________________________________
Usability Week 2012 conference
* Amsterdam, The Netherlands: starts today
* Washington, DC: May 14-18
* Chicago: June 25-29
* Toronto: July 23-27
* Sydney: August 12-17
Full event program describing all full-day training courses.
> http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3D538d934a891681a5d8=
50bb4e5&id=3Da1758a6746&e=3Df405d0f72c
__________________________________________________________________
Solving the Wrong Safety Problem
The US Department of Transportation is proposing a requirement that new
cars include a brake override, which will disable the accelerator when
the brake pedal is pressed. This is supposed to prevent a type of
accident where the driver claims to be breaking, but the car keeps
going faster as if the accelerator pedal were stuck.
However, investigations of such accidents show that a common cause is
that the driver wasn't pressing the brake pedal at all. Drivers thought
they were braking, but in reality they had their foot on the
accelerator pedal, and so their own actions were causing the car to go
faster and faster instead of stopping.
The proposed fix won't fix the safety hazard at all: if drivers aren't
pressing the brake pedal, then the brake override won't kick in.
The real problem is a human factors issue, not an engineering issue,
and thus requires a human factors solution. When people are in a panic,
they often don't realize what they are doing. And instead of stopping
up and consider what pedal they're pressing, panicked drivers will just
press the accelerator even harder and speed to their doom.
It is very hard for engineers and politicians without human factors
training to accept this counterintuitive finding: that drivers are
stepping on the wrong pedal and don't realize it. But human error is
legion and a common cause of many other categories of accident as well.
How to solve the problem with the foot on the wrong pedal? I'm not a
car-design expert, so I can't say. But the way to reduce runaway
accidents is to attack the problem that causes these accidents. Not to
add an engineering solution to something that isn't the problem.
__________________________________________________________________
Online Donations Increasing
New data shows that charitable giving is up by 5% across 1,889
nonprofit organizations in 2012 relative to the same period of last
year.
> http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3D538d934a891681a5d8=
50bb4e5&id=3D1fa672e3b2&e=3Df405d0f72c
During the same period, online giving increased by 14%, or almost 3
times as much.
In other words, fundraising through the Internet is becoming more and
more important. For more information, see
* full-day training course on Non-Profit Organizations' Web
Presence: Attracting Donations, Volunteers, and Catering to Diverse
Stakeholders in Washington DC, May 14
> http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3D538d934a891681a5=
d850bb4e5&id=3D11ebd8c911&e=3Df405d0f72c
* usability studies of nonprofit websites
> http://useit.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=3D538d934a891681a=
5d850bb4e5&id=3D60a9747d38&e=3Df405d0f72c
Copyright =C2=A9 2012 Nielsen Norman Group, All rights
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<blockquote style="padding-bottom: 4px; line-height: 130%; background-color: #ffffdd; margin: 0px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; color: #000000; padding-top: 4px">
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px">
<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=a86a360d3c&e=f405d0f72c" style="color: #505050; text-decoration: none"><span style="color: #505050">Summary:</span><br>
The winning app UIs include domain-specific solutions that allow humans to focus on deeper issues while the software takes care of the mechanics.</a></p>
<p style="line-height: 140%; margin-top: 4px; margin-bottom: 0px; font-size: 120%">
<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=1c1bf19ce2&e=f405d0f72c" style="color: #505050; text-decoration: none">Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox for April 23: <span style="color: #0033aa; text-decoration: underline"><strong>Best Application Designs</strong></span></a></p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<h3>
Usability Week 2012 conference</h3>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=2a94b6032b&e=f405d0f72c">Amsterdam</a>, The Netherlands: starts today</li>
<li>
<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=c0940f434d&e=f405d0f72c">Washington, DC</a>: May 14-18</li>
<li>
<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=92975ac846&e=f405d0f72c">Chicago</a>: June 25-29</li>
<li>
<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=590a9503e6&e=f405d0f72c">Toronto</a>: July 23-27</li>
<li>
<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=07ef2c13f6&e=f405d0f72c">Sydney</a>: August 12-17</li>
</ul>
<p>
<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=fbae46a6de&e=f405d0f72c">Full event program</a> describing all full-day training courses.</p>
<hr>
<h3>
Solving the Wrong Safety Problem</h3>
<p>
The US Department of Transportation is proposing a requirement that new cars include a brake override, which will disable the accelerator when the brake pedal is pressed. This is supposed to prevent a type of accident where the driver claims to be breaking, but the car keeps going faster as if the accelerator pedal were stuck.</p>
<p>
However, investigations of such accidents show that a common cause is that the driver wasn't pressing the brake pedal at all. Drivers <em>thought </em>they were braking, but in reality they had their foot on the accelerator pedal, and so their own actions were causing the car to go faster and faster instead of stopping.</p>
<p>
The proposed fix <strong>won't fix the safety hazard at all</strong>: if drivers aren't pressing the brake pedal, then the brake override won't kick in.</p>
<p>
The real problem is a human factors issue, not an engineering issue, and thus requires a human factors solution. <strong>When people are in a panic, they often don't realize what they are doing</strong>. And instead of stopping up and consider what pedal they're pressing, panicked drivers will just press the accelerator even harder and speed to their doom.</p>
<p>
It is very hard for engineers and politicians without human factors training to accept this counterintuitive finding: that drivers are stepping on the wrong pedal and don't realize it. But human error is legion and a common cause of many other categories of accident as well.</p>
<p>
How to solve the problem with the foot on the wrong pedal? I'm not a car-design expert, so I can't say. But the way to reduce runaway accidents is to attack the problem that causes these accidents. Not to add an engineering solution to something that isn't the problem.</p>
<hr>
<h3>
Online Donations Increasing</h3>
<p>
<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=b5f13927b7&e=f405d0f72c">New data shows</a> that charitable giving is <strong>up by 5%</strong> across 1,889 nonprofit organizations in 2012 relative to the same period of last year.</p>
<p>
During the same period, <strong>online giving increased by 14%</strong>, or almost 3 times as much.</p>
<p>
In other words, fundraising through the Internet is becoming more and more important. For more information, see</p>
<ul>
<li>
full-day training course on <a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=4772d48479&e=f405d0f72c">Non-Profit Organizations' Web Presence: Attracting Donations, Volunteers, and Catering to Diverse Stakeholders</a> in Washington DC, May 14</li>
<li>
<a href="http://useit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5&id=1d014bc152&e=f405d0f72c">usability studies of nonprofit websites</a></li>
</ul>
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