Bad user interface
Feb. 2nd, 2012 03:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dr_whomThis has happened to me.
So on some ATMs, anyway, when you need to deposit a bunch of checks or whatever in an envelope, it helpfully waits a few minutes to give you time to actually get all your checks endorsed and stuffed in the envelope and so on. Once it's waited a little while, a message will flash up on the screen: "Do you need more time?" And you can select yes or no.
Suppose that, when you see that message flash up, you hurry up and go ahead and seal your envelope, so now your deposit is all ready. You don't need more time. You're all set and ready to proceed immediately. Do you select yes or no to answer the question "Do you need more time?"
The correct answer is that you select "yes". If you select "no", the ATM will cancel the transaction and log you out.
What the actual meaning of "Do you need more time?" is, apparently, isn't 'Do you need more time?', but rather 'Do you actually intend to make your deposit at all?' I'm not sure if the people designing the ATM's UI were aware of this but intentionally decided to go with the politer-sounding question, or if it just never even occurred to them that the reason someone might not need more time was because they were ready, rather than because they had decided not to go through with the transaction, or what.
So on some ATMs, anyway, when you need to deposit a bunch of checks or whatever in an envelope, it helpfully waits a few minutes to give you time to actually get all your checks endorsed and stuffed in the envelope and so on. Once it's waited a little while, a message will flash up on the screen: "Do you need more time?" And you can select yes or no.
Suppose that, when you see that message flash up, you hurry up and go ahead and seal your envelope, so now your deposit is all ready. You don't need more time. You're all set and ready to proceed immediately. Do you select yes or no to answer the question "Do you need more time?"
The correct answer is that you select "yes". If you select "no", the ATM will cancel the transaction and log you out.
What the actual meaning of "Do you need more time?" is, apparently, isn't 'Do you need more time?', but rather 'Do you actually intend to make your deposit at all?' I'm not sure if the people designing the ATM's UI were aware of this but intentionally decided to go with the politer-sounding question, or if it just never even occurred to them that the reason someone might not need more time was because they were ready, rather than because they had decided not to go through with the transaction, or what.
