It was bad design, but it worked because it was cheaper to make and maintain, which is better for the company, not the customer or user.
Bad Design
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From the Blog on design
File Sharing
How organisational systems are set up tell you about those who created them. Restricting file sharing doesn’t stop it, peope use workarounds.
The Size of a Horse’s Behind
The size of the booster rockets on the original space shuttle was determined by the size of the rear end of Roman horses.
Designing Consent
Designing consent in an app or system doesn’t really work. Consent is a relational, trust, human activity not a yes/no tick box.
Design is never for the 100%
Nothing is made for everyone. It is impossible. And ‘who’s it for’ is never just a design choice, it is also a business model choice.
Blueprints Don’t Have All the Decisions
Designs and blueprints are made, but there are always, always, countless decisions being made by those coding and building the product or system.
What we see is influenced by what was
Structures frame a place. It is hard to imagine them gone. And even when they do go, it is easy to fall into the trap of being influenced by their ‘ghosts’
Are we listening?
Humanitarian Aid does not need to be done to those affected by a crisis. Yes, it is true that we have multiple ‘customers’, but this not unique to us.
Efficiency, Waste and Sensitive Data
Efficient or wasteful depends on who answers. Being clear on who it is for or who answers the question has implications on how we design our work.