SousChef lowers the barrier

Getting started with a new product can be daunting. Providing a way to get started or get the feel for an app is important if you want your users to, you know, use it. In order to help users feel comfortable with SousChef, they give us the opportunity to load a demo library.

Now we don’t have to muddle through an interface with a blank slate. We can poke through the demo library and get the feel without putting a lot of effort in to it.

This is a great first-time user experience. It’s better than a tour, in that it’s a working tour. Something we can play with and use. More apps should do this. Learn a lesson from SousChef!

97 Bottles error message fail

Disappointing error messages on the 97 Bottles register form.

Two reasons why it fails: 1) They’re totally disconnected from the form I was using. 2) They’re the same type style as the description text.

Can I get a “color:red” at least? It took even me a few tries to figure out what was going on. And I consider myself a form-filler-extrodinare. I fill out forms in my sleep. I’m not kidding. It happened once.

But seriously, I’m being hard on them. 97Bottles is a great site, I just wish I could log in and enjoy it. It’s frustrating.

Get Satisfaction: inticing copywriting in navigation

Get Satisfaction drops a hint to get their members involved with their site. They ask “Who do you work for?” in their navigation. The power of suggestion is a force to be reckoned with.

Although the primary perk of this scrap is rooted in a great user experience, the implementation in the navigation is a unique interface design.

This thoughtful note planted a seed in my mind. If I ever need a web-based customer service app, I’ll be sure to try Get Satisfaction.

Firefox addon updates impede launching

Firefox should stop me only if there are problems with my updates. If everything goes smooth, then please, launch so I can get on with my life.

This isn’t a UI design problem per se, rather a UX issue. However it can be solved with a bit of UI design. They could put a checkbox next to the continue button that says “always continue if no problems updating.” That’d make updating much smoother, and I’d be less tempted to uninstall Cooliris for asking me to update so frequently.