The User Interface Asylum

There are many sources about what you should do in a user interface, but not enough sources on what you should not do. This blog is a summary of real world examples with discussion of bad user interface elements in software. Many bad user interfaces are also amazingly funny, so be prepared for some laughs as well as thoughtful commentary on improving user interfaces.

Software Safety

Since 2005 I have been presenting a topic at TechEds and other conferences around the world titled "Improving Software Safety through the User Interface". This topic has proved immensely popular and this blog is an extension of it.

Where is the Book?

I have been repeatedly asked if I will be writing a book on this subject. I am investigating the possibilities now. Having authored, and contributed to books before I know what an amazing amount of time it consumes. If you are interested in such a book, please contact me to express your interest.

 

8/27/2007 - Attention! Blog moving!!

There is simply too much cross over. Because of this, I will be slowly moving all the content from this blog to my main tech blog. All new postings will also be in my main tech blog. More...

6/16/2007 - Vista Defrag

Vista defrag seems to have removed the graphical view. I am not to happy about this. But can anyone explain this dialog to me? Is it scheduled or not? More...

5/11/2007 - Stupid Policies

Is this user interface or a policy? I say its both, this policy creates a bad user interface. More...

5/10/2007 - Interesting Vista Error Dialog

What now? More...

4/28/2007 - Always check "filled in text"

Im sure this is a standard dialog and that the text comes from an external source. But this just demonstrates why it is always important to review the combination. More...

4/28/2007 - What kind of message does this tell the user?

The dialog is pretty stern. It is certainly scary for most end users, and puts pressure on vendors to sign their drivers. You would think that Microsoft could be bothered to do the same? More...

4/27/2007 - Is that the best filename Microsoft could come up with?

This is a Microsoft file, its part of the Bluetooth support. I am not sure how the filename was constructed, but the end result is a bit funny. More...

4/16/2007 - Long URL's in Dialogs

URL's in dialogs are a bad idea, but long ones are a horrible idea. More...

4/14/2007 - Nero Dialogs

Recently I installed Nero 7 trial to check out Nero Recode. Mostly it is a nice program, but there are some really weird dialogs that should be reviewed a bit closer. More...

4/14/2007 - Updates coming soon!

I know it has been a while since I updated this blog. But updates are coming! More...

12/27/2006 - Wow! We have a Wii, and Wii have a problem

I was not planning on putting a game console in our house. Even with all their computing power, no game console can match my souped up development machine. However, the Wii is nothing short of a marvel and a must have even for non gamers. More...

11/18/2006 - Stupid State Logic

This one is called 'Stupid State Logic' for more than one reason. It's state machine is a bit stupid, but it also applies to the State entry field. More...

11/18/2006 - What is the funniest error message?

Last week at TechEd Europe someone asked me what the funniest computer message I had ever encountered was. I have to say it was a tie between these two. More...

11/18/2006 - Super Strong Passwords

How strong can a password be? Well this system certainly puts that to a test. More...

11/18/2006 - High or Higher?

Higher than High. No, its not a Cheech and Chong movie, its Internet Explorer. More...

11/18/2006 - Smaller than Windows Mobile

Every tried to run windows at 200 x 75? It works, here is what happens. More...