Rules for Walking

Life is governed by rules.

I live two blocks away from New Zealand’s busiest pedestrian street, Lambton Quay. After a little observation, it’s obvious to see that the way we walk down
the street is governed by a set of rules. Walk on the left. Always be purposeful, even if you’re slow. Stay a respectful distance from the rest of the foot traffic.

But what happens when the rules of life conflict, or people differ in their opinion of what the rules are? It doesn’t take long for right driving foreigners
walking down a busy New Zealand street to realise that going against the flow is not very efficient. Read more »

Dumb users

My flatmate likes to accuse me of being dumb at using technology on purpose. There is a certain truth in that – I would prefer not to have to learn how to connect up all the cords snaking out of the back of the TV and VCR. Plus, as a usability engineer, what would I have to complain about if I found everything usable? Still, I was pleased to read the other day that the late Michael Dertouzos, the former director of the computer science lab at MIT, also struggles with technology. Read more »