Interesting Interface Design Choices

[Jerry]

Here's one to catalog under the "stuck in a rut" design choices.

The American Airlines self check-in screen allows you to input a flight record locator, which is a six letter code, so it can find your flight information.  The kiosk has touch screen input so it displays a keyboard layout so you can punch in the record locator...

keyboard layout  ...  

The screen is at such an angle that you cannot use it like a regular keyboard, so everyone is going to have to hunt-and-peck. If you are used to keeping your hands on the so-called "home" position of a keyboard, it will take extra time to search for the right letters. If you are a hunt-pecker anyway, it would make just as much sense to put the letters in alphabetic order. Hmmm ...

Here's what I'm thinking, we should start a forum called "Interface design - the good, the bad, the ugly", where the thread point out remarkabley good, bad, or just plain ugly interface designs.

[Bryan]

I, personally, think it's a good idea.

[Brad Nunnally]

Yeah, I ran into one of these when I went to Seattle. It sucked cause I had to use it to check in for my flight. I felt like such a tool for having to go through the system to make sure I actually did what I was supposed to have done. They did pick a stupid set up for the thing and I did witness other elderly people having harder time with it than I was. I am all for a Interface forum. I dont know about other people but with having the Digg RSS feed going through my browser I find myself going to the oddest websites sometimes that would fit great in a place like that.

[William Grim]

I liked Delta's self check-in system very much.  I used it four times over Christmas break, and all you had to do was this:
1) Insert CC used to purchase tickets.
2) Click Next (which agrees to terms of ticket)
3) Look at itinerary and click "Print Tickets" or "Print Itinerary".
4) Click "Finish".

Man that was easy.  I loved it :)

I also liked their in-flight service of food and drinks on all flights!

[Bryan]

I only see one problem with the 4 steps you just listed.  What happens if you don't have the credit card you used to purchase the tickets?  It's not unusual for peoplet hat travel the most (people travelling on business) to have their tickets purchased for them.  I know I rarely have the purchasing credit card when I leave for a client site.  I would be willing to bet the same is true for Dr. Weinberg and the CS faculty.

[Ross Mead]

Actually, asking to see the credit card that was used to purchase the tickets is a rather common thing, and they will often do it at the counter.  The same goes for hotels, as they generally ask you when you are checking in to see the credit card that was used to purchase the reservation.  Though I've had similar concerns myself (**At the counter** "Oh crap, did I actually bring the card that I used!?!") and I personally don't like it, I don't see it as anything out of the norm for frequent travellers (i.e., they're probably used to it).  I'd love for them to change the system, but I doubt that people have given them the impression that it was a problem.

[John Paul]

I use the CC mode of check-in very often. You do not need the credit card used for purchase. Most of the times my employer paid for my ticket but I could identify myself with my credit card. It only checks the name of the creditcard holder to match the traveller name. I still have to enter the 3 letter origin and destination codes. But it is convenient because I do not need to remember any lengthy confirmation codes or carry printout of the ticket.

Looking at the history of QWERTY, it was not designed to make typing easy. It was in fact desinged to make typing difficult by the maker of Typewriter to increase the durability of the device. But as time passed it became a defacto standard. Changing this layout to any other layout might prove to be more disastrous design decision.

John Paul
Retd. CAOS Admin