As a web developer you make a product (the website or application) usually for consumers other than yourself. It could be for fellow employees on an intranet, the general public, or some mixture. Because you are creating products for others, you need to code for so many possibilities, especially the least expected. When you deploy code you have to test and monitor error logs to see how your product is being used in the ‘real world’. And 90% of the time, when developers find out how their product is being used they are amazed.

To this day I watch usability test videos in astonishment. I want to yell at the video like it was a bad horror movie. “Don’t go in there, the navigation is over on top!” or “Use the search, its right in front of you.” “The back button? C’mon why are you using the back button, you are going to lose your data, we GAVE you buttons for that.” You get the point. We need to be prepared for almost anything. This is one of the challenges in our field that makes it interesting – or could give us ulcers. I was thinking today, do other creators of other products face the same issues?

When someone designs a new car, does he have to worry users will not use the gas pedal correctly?
When you make a jacket, are you supposed to make it wearable both the correct way and for the chance a person puts it on upside down?
When you make a TV, you know people are expected to use it in basically the same manner.

Even if something is used wrong, manufacturers don’t care. Try swimming with your phone and then bring it back to the store. Or call Dell and tell them your laptop stopped working because you used it as roasting pan for your Easter ham. Rear-end another car while driving and explain to the cop you didn’t notice you had a brake pedal.

They don’t care. So why do we have to?

Imagine a world where we could simply say, “Sorry you didn’t use the back button as I intended, so I don’t care that you couldn’t get those Britney Spears tickets you had in your shopping cart.” “No sir, I put that in the navigation, so you are wrong for trying the search box.” These statements would be absurd in our world.

Maybe we just care too much. Maybe we have to because its so easy to go to another website if the current one doesn’t suit your needs. Or, maybe the solution is users need to get a license before they jump on the internet, like driving a car. Then we could have a DMV for internet licenses. Imagine the people who would work there. That would be interesting. Thoughts?

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experiences, thoughts by bill breen