axbom’s Twitter Archive

I’ve used this clip from Monsters vs Aliens in lectures about usability over the years. Never could I have imagined I would truly worry about the actual design of this, allegedly big, button as much as I currently do. Also, the Oprah reference is now uncanny...
On twitter.com ♻️ 110 Retweets ❤️ 201 Favorites 2018 Jan 13 Mood -2 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
It appears the operator in Hawaii had two options in a drop-down menu: (1) Test missile alert (2) Missile alert In a drop-down there are no visual cues to guide the user, no size or color differences, no marked distance between click areas. washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/01/14/hawaii-missile-alert-how-one-employee-pushed-the-wrong-button-and-caused-a-wave-of-panic/
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 15 Retweets ❤️ 24 Favorites 2018 Jan 15 Mood -5 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
The only difference in options is the word ”Test”. Both options may display, ”Are you sure?” but thinking you have selected the right one you will always select ”Yes/Continue”.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 5 Retweets ❤️ 15 Favorites 2018 Jan 15 Mood 0

…in reply to @axbom
I have no idea about this dropdown but sometimes people inadvertently select an unintended option because mouse scroll wheels also scroll in dropdowns.
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 8 Favorites 2018 Jan 15 Mood -3 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
A dropdown may in fact be the worst possible design option for this type of interaction. Or to be more clear: devastatingly inappropriate.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 18 Favorites 2018 Jan 15 Mood -4 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
Added to this: there was no way to easily cancel and undo the outgoing alert once the operator was aware of the mistake. No way to automatically send out a correction.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 8 Favorites 2018 Jan 15 Mood -6 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
Ideally I would expect a call for UX/usability professionals to review computerized tools across the world, but alas I believe we will continue to see interface mistakes larger than this one.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 14 Favorites 2018 Jan 15 Mood -3 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
I now hope Hawaii will be as transparent as possible about the chain of events, to create awareness and keep repeated mistakes of the same kind to a minimum in all countries.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 8 Favorites 2018 Jan 15 Mood +2 🙂

…in reply to @axbom
Never before has the importance of positive friction in interfaces been so glaringly obvious.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 3 Retweets ❤️ 14 Favorites 2018 Jan 15 Mood +4 🙂

…in reply to @axbom
I just published: The Usability of Buttons that Harm or Save Lives medium.com/@axbom/the-usability-of-buttons-that-harm-or-save-lives-d0dcb22e325d
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 23 Retweets ❤️ 35 Favorites 2018 Jan 15 Mood 0

…in reply to @axbom
OMFG. This appears to be the interface that was at fault for the ballistic missile alarm on Hawaii. It is way way worse than I possibly could have conjured up in my wildest dreams. CivilBeat/953127542050795520
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 34 Retweets ❤️ 34 Favorites 2018 Jan 16 Mood -4 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
So in my article yesterday I referenced WarGames (the movie), but I did not see this image coming... #hawaii » Yesterday's article: medium.com/misusability/the-usability-of-buttons-that-harm-or-save-lives-d0dcb22e325d
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 27 Retweets ❤️ 48 Favorites 2018 Jan 16 Mood 0

…in reply to @axbom
You can now get a feel for the interface (The mockup interaction is purely based on imagination and lack of time - any similarities with the actual interaction design, beyond what is in the screenshot, is purely coincidental). udo.se/hawaii/ #hawaii
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 22 Retweets ❤️ 79 Favorites 2018 Jan 16 Mood -2 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
Just now realized why the number ”1” is there. In a fit of desperation the users tried to see if they could sort the links by numbering the template names...
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 10 Retweets ❤️ 90 Favorites 2018 Jan 16 Mood +1 🙂

…in reply to @axbom
Stop the presses! This also is not the correct interface... civilbeat.org/2018/01/hawaii-distributed-phony-image-of-missile-warning-screen/ via andysternberg #hawaii
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 4 Retweets ❤️ 9 Favorites 2018 Jan 17 Mood -1 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
Been coming across some ”design suggestions” for the Emergency Warning Messaging interface... some of them are really not showing the profession in good light. 😬 Or I just don’t know what a joke is anymore. 🤪
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 2 Retweets ❤️ 6 Favorites 2018 Jan 17 Mood 0

…in reply to @axbom
I think we can agree that spending a few hours ”throwing something together” is how problems arise. Whatever the chain of events leading to the incident, problems are systemic and bigger and broader than a single interface.
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 3 Favorites 2018 Jan 17 Mood -1 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
Read jmspool’s take on the likely setup that contributed to the false ballistic missile alert: filenames. medium.com/ux-immersion-interactions/the-hawaii-missile-alert-culprit-poorly-chosen-file-names-d30d59ddfcf5 #hawaii
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 7 Retweets ❤️ 9 Favorites 2018 Jan 17 Mood -2 🙁