[Usability]Say no more!

[Jon Kåre Hellan <hellan acm org>]

I thought I'd share this example of the state of usability on Windows.

The Siemens S55 cellular phone comes with Siemens Data Suite, which
includes software for synchronizing the address book and calendar with
Outlook.

When I click on the "Siemens Data Suite" icon on my wife's computer, the
following message appears:

  "You have set display font size to large fonts. Siemens Data Suite   
   only supports normal fonts (sic!) size. Please change the display
   settings to small fonts
   (Control Panel | Display | Properties | Settings | Advanced... |   
   General | Font Size) 
   and start the Siemens Data Suite again."

Actually, the reason my wife chose a high end phone was that she needed
a good display because of her vision problems. Nevertheless, we try to
humour Siemens Data Suite and change the fonts. The message above
forgets to tell us that the Control Panel is under "Settings", but we
knew that.

Needless to say, Windows 2000 helpfully informs us when we change to
small fonts that:

  "Changes in the system font will only take effect after the fonts have
   been installed and Windows has been restarted."

If I had been making a case, I would have rested it now. As I'm not,
I'll add that the phone doesn't work at all with Infrared under Windows
2000, unless she buys a 3rd party driver. It took me 30 minutes to make
my Linux PC talk the phone over IrDA. 

Jon Kåre

-- 
Jon Kåre Hellan <hellan acm org>