Comments on: The Holidays Bring Terrible UI http://resistmedia.net/blog/2007/12/27/the-holidays-bring-terrible-ui/ This is a blog about adventures in design, and sometimes other crap. My name is Beth Dean and I'm a web designer from Cleveland Ohio. I work for Progressive Insurance as a UX Developer. Tue, 22 May 2012 00:11:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: beth http://resistmedia.net/blog/2007/12/27/the-holidays-bring-terrible-ui/#comment-43008 beth Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:39:01 +0000 http://resistmedia.net/blog/2007/12/27/the-holidays-bring-terrible-ui/#comment-43008 Ugh there is NO reason a website that is required for a toy should be Windows/IE only. I mean, what if Grandma wants to buy the kiddies a computer related toy? Do the manufacturers really think she knows to look for that or knows the difference? What about the kids who don't have internet access at home and will activate their Webkinz in the library or at school which probably has OSX or Linux? So frustrating. I understand using Flash on a kid's site, as it's highly interactive and very cartoonish. But there's just no reason it should be used for essential parts or anyplace where you must enter data. When I have to refresh 50 gazillion times how do I know where my private information is going? Is it secure when the page times out? I think there should be some kind of standard adopted by toymakers for labeling computer and battery requirements on toys. Ugh there is NO reason a website that is required for a toy should be Windows/IE only. I mean, what if Grandma wants to buy the kiddies a computer related toy? Do the manufacturers really think she knows to look for that or knows the difference? What about the kids who don’t have internet access at home and will activate their Webkinz in the library or at school which probably has OSX or Linux? So frustrating.

I understand using Flash on a kid’s site, as it’s highly interactive and very cartoonish. But there’s just no reason it should be used for essential parts or anyplace where you must enter data. When I have to refresh 50 gazillion times how do I know where my private information is going? Is it secure when the page times out?

I think there should be some kind of standard adopted by toymakers for labeling computer and battery requirements on toys.

]]> By: Dana Kashubeck http://resistmedia.net/blog/2007/12/27/the-holidays-bring-terrible-ui/#comment-42996 Dana Kashubeck Thu, 27 Dec 2007 17:20:14 +0000 http://resistmedia.net/blog/2007/12/27/the-holidays-bring-terrible-ui/#comment-42996 I had a similar bad experience with Fisher-Price's "Knows Your Name" site. I bought a Dora the Explorer phone for my daughter and wanted to program it with her name. Like Webkinz, the site was all Flash, slow, and required constant refreshes. It took about 30 times trying to get through the select-a-name process before I got a download that was compatible with Windows only. Probably I'm naive, but I thought they would have said on the box or something if Windows was required. I fired up Parallels and a Windows XP virtual machine, but couldn't get the site to work in IE7. I only got portions of the screen, and not the portions I needed to complete the process. I then decided to fire up my old Windows XP computer, which hasn't been turned on in months. After several attempts, I finally get through the select-a-name process (this time in IE6), click the "Download" button and . . . nothing. I couldn't for the life of me get the file. I ended up using a USB thumb drive to transfer the file from my MacBook Pro to the old Windows computer. Launched the file and installed the software, plugged in the phone and . . . it didn't recognize it. Several minutes of plugging, unplugging, turning the phone off, turning the phone on, restarting the software and I finally got connected. "Updated" the phone successfully and the phone said "Emily" instead of "Kellie". I've never been so frustrated with a stupid toy in all my life. I feel your pain. I'm glad you were able to get your Amazon situation fixed, though. Also, kudos for providing ways that Amazon and Webkinz could fix their issues. My suggestions to Fisher-Price: 1.) Have a cross-platform way of connecting to the toys or make it very, very clear what the system requirements are ON THE BOX 2.) There are other browsers besides IE6--make your site work in them 3.) There is no need for a Flash site for this. You can easily do it with a regular old HTML form and some nice CSS 4.) Test your software and make sure it actually works I had a similar bad experience with Fisher-Price’s “Knows Your Name” site. I bought a Dora the Explorer phone for my daughter and wanted to program it with her name. Like Webkinz, the site was all Flash, slow, and required constant refreshes. It took about 30 times trying to get through the select-a-name process before I got a download that was compatible with Windows only. Probably I’m naive, but I thought they would have said on the box or something if Windows was required.

I fired up Parallels and a Windows XP virtual machine, but couldn’t get the site to work in IE7. I only got portions of the screen, and not the portions I needed to complete the process.

I then decided to fire up my old Windows XP computer, which hasn’t been turned on in months. After several attempts, I finally get through the select-a-name process (this time in IE6), click the “Download” button and . . . nothing. I couldn’t for the life of me get the file.

I ended up using a USB thumb drive to transfer the file from my MacBook Pro to the old Windows computer. Launched the file and installed the software, plugged in the phone and . . . it didn’t recognize it. Several minutes of plugging, unplugging, turning the phone off, turning the phone on, restarting the software and I finally got connected. “Updated” the phone successfully and the phone said “Emily” instead of “Kellie”.

I’ve never been so frustrated with a stupid toy in all my life. I feel your pain. I’m glad you were able to get your Amazon situation fixed, though. Also, kudos for providing ways that Amazon and Webkinz could fix their issues. My suggestions to Fisher-Price:

1.) Have a cross-platform way of connecting to the toys or make it very, very clear what the system requirements are ON THE BOX

2.) There are other browsers besides IE6–make your site work in them

3.) There is no need for a Flash site for this. You can easily do it with a regular old HTML form and some nice CSS

4.) Test your software and make sure it actually works

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