My brother invited me to watch the U.S. v. Ghana this morning.
I went for his sake, knowing he is a soccer nut. (I'm a nothing nut, and can't pass for a regular dude even momentarily).
I noticed that the soccer fields where striped along the width (mowed differently in about 10 yard increments)…when I asked my brother why, he told me it helps the refs discern if a player is offsides.
Alternating stripes are helpful in comprehending grids and rows…and soccer games.
Writing the last post (on audio help) dislodged an old memory of a TV on PBS, one where a calm man with frizzy hair painted and murmured about his process at the same time. At the end of each show, one painting was complete.
Now it strikes me that audio help might be bettered murmured than delivered clear preemptory voice. That way, the user's attention can move alternately from the spoken word, to the act of painting, to the painting itself–or take in all at once…whatever works best in the moment.
This spring I went to Rome for my honeymoon (first time to Rome, first time getting married).
There I met an old acquaintance, the Ugly American…and this time, it was me!
Perhaps you’ve met him: he doesn’t bother adapting himself to the locale, he expects everyone to speak English, and when they decline, he thinks increasing his already-loud volume will smooth things over.
He surprised me in Vatican City. We went without a guide, on a lark–a bad idea, as it turned out. We were confused. For instance, in the morning, people line up outside the walled city. There are two lines, one for individuals, one for groups, but it’s not clear which is which. There are no placards, maps, concierges, etc. Inside, the same total lack of hinting holds. There is no way to know that you have go through the Sistine Chapel to get to Saint Peter’s church–unless you already know, of course.
Now, who am I to suggest that the Pope nail up placards on these marble walls? Who am I to expect that I can amble into a 15-centuries-old holy place without any guide and get my bearings?
I must be the Ugly American. I was fuming.
That experience made me re-evaluate the Ugly American. The Ugly American is presumptuous and rude, of course…but anyone truly interested in interface design is in a real sense catering to the Ugly American in all of us.
Why shouldn’t everyone just understand me? Why shouldn’t things just work? Why can’t a single person become a publishing phenomenon? Why not do your banking from the comfort of your den?
“Why not?” A rude question–and sometimes a useful one, too.
I was watching the season finale of 24 and it noticed the titles use linear motion…words come in a steady velocity, hit their mark, and with a resounding thump, stop dead in their tracks. It's exactly what homo-sapien physics would predict: an object comes to a sudden stop, and its energy is released as sound.
