To Err is Human : How Firefox Does It

To err is human, even if our product seems perfect, if there's any error, then admit it, don't blame the users.
This is how firefox does it really good :


This is how they do it :

1. Admit the error - don't blame the user and talk in human language.
2. Explain the condition, what might caused the error.
3. Suggest solution to the user.

I like the words "Well, this is embarassing" for sure...

What do you think?

Lost in the tour : the new Yahoo! homepage

Yahoo! revamped their homepage, but their link to "Tour the homepage" seems gonna confuse people. The homepage itself and the snapshot in the "Tour the homepage" are different.
Be careful when you're taking a tour, you might get lost :)

Some of the differences that I noticed :

• There's no "update status field" in the homepage
• My Favorites is on the right, and showing no icons
• No "Develop for Yahoo" section at the bottom

The Yahoo! homepage

The snapshot of the homepage in "Tour the homepage"

Telling "YOU'RE WRONG" to The User

No doubt, people hate to be incompetent, people hate to feel stupid. This kind of feeling, should be taken into consideration when designing any interaction.
I was trying to change my yahoo password, after a 'long' and 'guessy' clicking, I've finally arrived on the change password page.


I've tried some new password, following their rule of minimum 6 characters. But it kept telling me : "The new password you entered is not valid".
This is another way to tell : "YOU'RE WRONG"!!!. And that's it...It's totally frustating me as a user.
This is much better, as some app will display a kind of robot language : " Error code 52.", "WindowError:008"., "No Such User."


So what should we do to create a good error message :

1. Speak human if your users are human.
2. Explain the condition, don't blame user, admit your mistake if there's something wrong with your system/app.
3. Suggest a solution, don't blame user again even if it's their mistakes.

Heuristic Evaluation : detikcom's GoMobile! WAP site

View more documents from Borrys Hasian.

The right offering to the right person at the right time : LinkedIn Groups

Today I noticed an annoying Group recommendation on LinkedIn. I've already joined "User Experience" group, but still they put the "User Experience" group in the "Groups You Might Like" section, and there's a link to "Join this group".
The right offering should be made to the right person at the right time :)

Heuristic Evaluation : Axis' Website

View more documents from Borrys Hasian.

Phone Selector on Ovi Store

View more documents from Borrys Hasian.