HFI is a leading usability and human factors consultancy. So I was a little surprised when I came across a small blunder. An example which illustrates the importance of permalinks. Also the importance of experience design.
The page I am talking about is the UI design newsletter page. I got to this page from google search. After glancing through the newsletter I wanted to see the past issues. Near the PDF file icon, there is a links which says, “back to past issues”. What would you expect to happen when you click this link? You expect to see the past issues page.. right? Now click on the image to go to the page, and see what happens.
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If you clicked on the image and then clicked on the “back to past issues”, you would have come back exactly to this page. Because the link that it uses is a javascript link.
<a href="javascript:history.go(-1)">Back to Past Issues</a>
This just uses browser history to find out which was the last page and opens that. Either this is a small slip-up or whoever decided to use the javascript link assumed that the user will only come to that page from the HFI site. In fact people can come to that page from any search engine or any other site/blog where it is linked. Ideally the back buttons should have the link for the list page for the newsletters. The URL could be something like, <a href="http://www.humanfactors.com/downloads/newsletters">Back to Past Issues</a>
This example illustrates how even technology overlaps into user experience design.
I have been listening to the song Goldfinger from the James Bond movie. I have always liked the song. After seeing this video of the live concert did I realize why the liking. I could identify at least 6 rasas. The way Shirley switches from one to the other is remarkable too. She should have been an Indian classical dancer seeing her mettle in expressions. I have tried to take screenshots to show what I mean.
Rasa - Adbhutam (Amazement)
Rasa - Hasyam (Laughter)
Rasa - Karunyam (Compassion)
Rasa - Vatsalya (parental love)
Rasa - Vibhatsa (disgust)
Rasa - Viram (heroic mood)
Do comment if you see any other rasa in the video.
ये मेरे एक दोस्त की जुबानी एक सच्ची कहानी है .
“१८ साल पहले मेनका गाँधी ने हमारे गाँव के पास टायगर छुडाये थे . इनमे कुछ चिड़िया घर तो कुछ सर्कस से थे. एक बार में और मेरा दोस्त शाम को स्कूल से लौट रहे थे . में और मेरा दोस्त छज्जू एक स्पंज की गेंद से खेल रहे थे. में अपने दोस्त की तरफ गेंद फेंकता और वो मेरी तरफ. जंगल के साथ वाले पगडण्डी में हम लोग खेलते हुए धीरे धीरे घर की तरफ आ रहे थे. मैंने ताव में आकर गेंद कुछ ज्यादा ही ऊंची फेक दी. मेरा दोस्त आसमान की और देखता ही रहा और गेंद उसके फैलाये हुए हाथों के बीच से गिर गयी. झल्लाया हुआ मेरा दोस्त बदले की भावना से गेंद को और ऊपर फेंकना चाहा. लेकिन होनी में कुछ और ही लिखा था. गेंद कक्षा में सिखाये अनुव्रत जैसे रास्ता लिए हुए सीधे जंगले में गिर गयी. “साले तुने मेरी गेंद गुमा दी” चिल्लाया में. जंगल बहुत घना था. फिर भी एक बार ढूँढना तो बनता ही था. हम दोनों झाड़ियों और काँटों से बचते हुए आगे बढ़ने लगे. तकरीबन २५ मीटर ही चले होंगे की एक तीव्र बू आने लगी. अब हमें दर भी लगने लगा था. मेरा दोस्त बोला, “यार में नयी गेंद दे दूंगा तुझे, अब चल वापिस”. हम लोग दौड़ते हुए वापस जाने लगे. जैसे जैसे हम पगडण्डी के पास पहुँचते गए गंध और बढती गयी. पगडण्डी पे पहुँच के जो दृश्य हमने देखा, मेरा दोस्त तोह बेहोश ही हो गया. मेरी नेकर भी गीली हो गयी. सामने बैठा था जंगले का रजा अपने दांतों के बीच हमारी गेंद लिया हुआ. में तोह जैसे मिटी का पुतला बन गया. बाघ गेंद लिए हुए धीरे धीरे मेरी तरफ बढ़ने लगा. में हनुमान चालीसा के शब्द याद कर रहा था. वो मेरे कुछ दूर लाकर वो गेंद जमीन पे ही रख दिया. में एक पैर से छज्जू को लात दी. “उठ साले.” छज्जू उठकर कहता है, “हम लोग मर गए क्या? क्या ये स्वर्ग है?” वो शायद इस चीज़ पे पूरा विशवास कर रहा ठा की उसकी मौत हो चुकी है. वो बाघ के पास जाकर उसके सर पे हात फेरने लगा.
उस दिन शुरुआत हुई हमारी दोस्ती की, में, छज्जू और शेर खान की. हम लोग ३ साल ऐसे ही जंगल जंगल ख्हेलते रहे. फिर एक दिन शेर खान की मौत हो गयी. छज्जू ने उसे अपनी माँ के हाथ का बना हुआ ठेकुआ खिला दिया. बेचारे शेर खान के गले में ठेकुआ अटक गया और उसका देहांत हो गया. १० साल बाद भी में शेर खान के दन्त का लोकेट पेहेनता हूँ. शेरू तू जहाँ भी है, तुझे गेंद और खेलने के लिए बचे मिलते रहें. ” भागो सेर आया
For people who cannot read the hindi script (or the language), google translate comes to the rescue. Here is the translated version which is even funnier.
*********** Run apple came
This is a true story of my friends verbally.
“18 years ago, Maneka Gandhi, Tiger Chodaye near our village the. Among these were some bird Hher some circus. Once in the evening and my friend were returning from school. Chtju and my friend were playing with a sponge ball. He throws the ball towards his friend and me. We play in the woods with the Peghadndi were coming slowly towards the house. I came in anger threw the ball too high. My friend was the sky and see the ball fell from between his Afailaye hands. Zllaaya’s my friend wanted to throw up the ball with vengeance. But something else had to be. As taught in the classroom Anuwarat way straight to the ball in Jngle fell. “My brother-Tune lost the ball” in shouts. Was very dense forest. Finding it was once again formed. We both began to move forward avoiding bushes and thorns. Approximately 25 meters will be left in an intense smell started coming. Now we seemed to rate. My friend said, “Man will give you the new ball, running back now.” We began running back. As we arrive to the smell and increasing added Peghadndi. The scenes we saw at Peghadndi access, my friend was so faint Toah. Nekara I got too wet. Reza was sitting in front of Jngle our ball between his teeth taken. Toah became such an effigy of the Mite. For Tiger, the ball was moving slowly towards me. Hanuman Chalisa in the word was missing. She brought me some off the ground at the ball as he put it. Gave a leg kick Chtju. “Brother-up.” Chtju up says, “What we’re dead? What is this heaven? “That belief is probably completed at this thing has died of Tha. That tiger went Ahat letting his head was at.
That day was the beginning of our friendship, in Chtju and Sher Khan. We are Khhelte forest woods like 3 years. Then one day, Sher Khan died. Chtju her mother’s hand made him Tekua fed it. Sher Khan stuck Tekua poor neck and her expired. 10 years after Sher Khan’s teeth in the locket will Pahent. Sheru you Wherever you left to play ball and keep meeting. ”
“Fight Club” in the real world http://bit.ly/bB7jrU
I received this reply:
@kaargocult His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted.
Apparently the user IAmJacksBot keeps searching for a few keywords, “fight club” being one of them. As soon as it finds one, it replies to the original tweet with a random dialogue from the movie.
I am not sure if anyone is using this automatized replying as a way to monetizing twitter.
Imagine you tweeting: “I would like a new camera phone with 5 megapixel”, and immediately getting a reply “read our recent review of 5 megapixel camera phones. Nokia XXX came out the winner”.
Found an old book rummaging through my collection. From my school days.
Titled :Model school essays, letters and paragraphs.
I am copying a letter called First letter to a pen friend from it.
——
282 Bunglow,
Sector- 16A,
Chandigarh
Dear Monita,
I saw your name and address in the Hindustan Times dated …. under the heading of ‘Wanted Pen Friend’. Enclosed please find my photograph and details like education, hobbies, extra curricular activities, political ideology etc. as desired by you.
Please send me your photograph along with other necessary details at the earliest. I hope, we will prove good friends.
With best wishes,
Yours Truly,
Sunny
——
The first thing which strikes me is the so formal tone of this letter. Maybe I have grown used to the casual copy like the ‘flickr is having a massage’. While in the first paragraph he is slightly hopeful but still very polite. In the second paragraph he suddenly becomes much more confidant ‘demandin’ she sends in the picture. Obviously she will only do so if she likes Sunny’s details.
Fun to realize that this is what the “Fraindship request’ used to look like in those days. This book was published in 1992.
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