An interface is more more more more more important than whatever’s happening behind the scenes of item. If a human can’t use it, they will become bored. confused and probably like the fickle things we are, give up and not bother. It’s the same for light-switches, cars, websites and now pervasive technologies.
In-fact that’s what we’ve learnt at Thought Den with certain web projects. If a blogging interface takes longer than an easy wordpress site, then the user will dislike and eventually stop blogging.
So the following simple payment machine struck me as a bit of a mistake on my recent visit to the PM Studio. After parking up the Thought Mobile in @Bristol’s car park I tried to pay my ticket and found this box.
Ticket Machine
Normally I wouldn’t care, and essentially it is just a ticket machine. I know. A ticket machine. Things like this normally wouldn’t rile me, however. This Blue beaoumouth was such a screw-up it was important to comment.
What an awful interface, just for paying a ticket. Firstly, they’ve put cash into designing this nice flashing LED interface to lead you to what to do next.
When you need to insert your ticket, the LED path leads to the “insert card slot”. Then it starts flashing around the different pay inputs for cash or card. Then once you’ve forked out your cash the change-drawer lights up and the ticket is returned to you.
So it had potential for being an interesting, fun and non-language led payment system… however… at some point something went wrong. The commissioner, instead of trusting that people could figure out and follow the lights, they’ve added 3 mini-screens all with text instructions to help you through the process. Each one saying something different and none follow each other’s design.
Ruined. Instead of people following the simple lights, they end up being blinded and ignoring the them only to follow what the badly-spaced text says on the top screen.
It’s a shame. I like flashing lights and simple.
This post is tagged fine, interface, LED, light, lights, parking, pervasive, simple, ticket