Concerning iWeb

By Matt in OS X, Commentary, Usability

I’ve been reading and enjoying Mike Lee’s new blog for a few weeks now; it’s entertaining, smart, and well-written. As I was heading out the door one morning recently, I noticed he’d posting something new: a rather long piece concerning all things economic, called On Selfishness. I wanted to read it, but not right then, and preferably not on a computer screen.

I went to print the page, but opted for a print preview first; one can never be sure how a web page will be printed. Sure enough:

Where is the rest of the essay? Only the first page is printing.

It wasn’t difficult to guess why this was happening — it’s usually the result of content that’s in a box whose position isn’t static. (See Positioning schemes in the CSS specification for more on this element of web design markup.) Mike uses iWeb to publish his site, and the code that iWeb generated floats and absolutely positions blocks of content in order to make everything look nice. iWeb apparently has enough foresight to generate a print stylesheet, but it doesn’t include appropriate countermeasures for the site’s relatively and absolutely positioned boxes.

At first I tried to download the webpage and hack at the CSS to see if I couldn’t produce something better, but everything I tried had no effect. The massive amount of external and inline styles iWeb generates are so tightly wound around one another that it was difficult to tell which element(s) I should be targeting.

I became frustrated enough to stop trying, and ended up copying and pasting the text into another document and printing it out that way.

It’s no secret that iWeb generates some muddy markup — Todd Dominey pointed out the multitude of issues with the first version of iWeb early in 2006. The meta tags for Mike’s blog reveal he’s still running on iWeb ‘06, but, unfortunately, an upgrade to iWeb ‘08 wouldn’t fix the problem — my own tests with iWeb ‘08 reveal that the generated code is much the same, and the printing issue remains.

There are other problems with iWeb’s webpages — the URL for posts is a prime example:

The web development community ignores iWeb for a reason — it flagrantly disregards the clean, refined standards they have long championed. But whether the code is valid or the site adheres to various standards is much less important than it being easy to use in a variety of media. As Mike himself says, “I don’t want this site to be about what a good (or bad) web designer I am. I want it to be about the message, whatever that might be.” So what do I suggest? Personally, I’d like to see Mike’s content on a different blogging platform, because the other solution — an update to iWeb that generates better print stylesheets — may be long in coming.

He’s a busy man, though, and doesn’t have time for a different platform, and that’s certainly understandable. I’d like to suggest a third solution: that we fix iWeb ourselves. Who’s “we?” Well, Mike knows iWeb well and is comfortable with it; perhaps he could take a look at the print stylesheets and tweak things. I’ll even dive back in myself. And of course, there’s our multitude of readers — together we can find a way! “Lazyweb?” Hardly.

Constructive Criticism: OS X Firmware Update Notifier

By Matt in OS X, Constructive Criticism, Design, Commentary, Usability

If you have a MacBook Pro, you may recently have been asked to update your firmware. Firmware is the embedded software in your hardware. (A PC’s BIOS is a well known example. See Firmware on Wikipedia.) This is the dialog box, which serves as both a notification and warning window, that’s supposed to guide you through the process:

There are a few things wrong here, and they all have to do with the fact that, for beginner users, this is a potentially confusing process already.

First of all, what is firmware? And do I have an Intel processor? It doesn’t seem like a lot of thought or time was put into designing this dialog box.

Unlike software updates, which can occur in the background and at most require a few “OK” clicks, this firmware update presents a challenge: it requires the user to perform a special action on their physical computer, one for which the instructions can’t be displayed on the screen while it’s happening. So it makes sense for Apple to recommend printing out the instructions or, for those without a printer, writing them down. But how do I print these instructions? I think a button would help:

Apple does provide more information about these updates. Links to the support document for EFI Firmware Update 1.4 or the more general overview of firmware updates for Intel-based Macs would be helpful, but they’re strangely absent.

In the interest of eminently usable software, I present a redesigned alternative:

As always, we welcome and appreciate your comments.

Nice Touch: Search Stores by ISBN

By Matt in Nice Touch, Commentary, Usability

Did you know that Amazon’s search field accepts ISBNs? It does — both the 10- and 13-digit variety. Type or paste in an ISBN, hit “Go,” and you’ll be taken straight to the book page. It’s perfect for when you’re searching for a book whose title isn’t very unique. (Sorting through the various editions of “The Elements of Style” is how I found this feature.)

It’s the sort of obvious, hidden feature you don’t think about until you try it. You’re hoping it will work, and it does. Sweet.

(This also works on Half.com, Barnes & Noble, and of course Borders, which is just an Amazon storefront.)

Constructive Criticism: The Library Postcard

By Matt in Constructive Criticism, Design, Commentary, Usability

Okay, so maybe I was nitpicking when it came to the postcard, but I stand behind my critique! “It could be better,” I said, and I meant it. We’re as much about construction as we are about criticism here at Sakuzaku, so I’d like to present a hypothetical redesign to the Hawaii State Public Library System book request notification postcard. Click the image below for a closer look.

To Consider

• Braille would be a nice addition and would make the card much more accessible.
• The backside of the card currently lists the phone numbers for every library on the islands. It would be nice to have the website URL listed there as well.
• I tried to avoid any solid blocks of color or images in the interest of saving ink.

I still think the postcard itself is obsolete, and I should have been able to receive an email notification. For those without email, though, this should suffice.

What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments here or on the photo page.

Library Litany

By Matt in Design, Commentary, Usability

I recently requested a book through the Hawaii State Public Library System. It wasn’t pretty.

Horizon Information Portal — Powered by Dynix! Awesome!!

First, I had to find the book in the online catalog, which was as well designed as most online library catalogs. That is, not well at all.

I know what I want, and I know I can probably get it by typing the title in that box in the middle of the page, but I have no idea what the logos in the top left and under the form are for, or what those tabs up there do. (Note that the copyright date for the “Horizon Information Panel,” which is also the title of the page instead of something relevant like “Hawaii Public Library Catalog,” hasn’t changed since 2004.)

I just want a book. Everything else but the search form and the submit button is noise. If I wanted to do something else, though, I wouldn’t know where to begin — those tabs doesn’t really offer any clues as to what they do. (What is “WebFeat”? “PC Reservation”?)

I soldier on. The results page is okay, despite what seems to be a database-wide disregard for the most basic rules of capitalization.

It’s relatively easy to find the “Request” button on the detail page, although it would have been nice to indicate the book wasn’t available at the library closest to me instead of just listing the locations where it was available, and leaving me to sort through each one.

I’m going to have to log in to request the book. Here’s the form:

Barcode? PIN? Well, “barcode” must be the number under the barcode on my library card, but I haven’t a clue what my PIN is. I try the PIN I usually use for things like this; no luck.

(Note that this form never remembers the Barcode number or PIN you input. Probably to keep the public terminals safe. Annoying.)

I called the library, and they told me my PIN was the last four digits of the phone number I used to register for a library card. I didn’t have a phone when I registered, so I figured I had no PIN. I was informed I’d need to come down to the library in person to set it up.

I did so and immediately sat down at one of the computers in the lobby to request the book. Here’s the confirmation page for requesting a book:

My hold queue position is 1. I can only imagine that means I’m first in line. I will be notified by — hold on, what? Mail? Postal mail? Are you kidding me? No other options here? No phone? No email? This is 2007. At least it auto-selected my pickup location. But wait, what do you mean my request is effective until 9/26/2008? They’ll hold the book for a year? I still haven’t figured this out.

I click “Request” and I’m given a confirmation screen. All right! Now I just have to wait for the mailman.

(Note that upon compiling this blog post and stepping through these screens to get screenshots, I was routinely redirected back to the homepage automatically after a certain amount of time. This, like the forgetful login form mentioned above, is probably to ensure the public terminals are returned to the home screen for the cycle of visitors in the library. That’s probably a good idea, but it should be restricted to the library computers. At home it’s just annoying — what if the phone rings and I’m in the middle of requesting a book?)

Carded

About a week later, a postcard arrived in the mail. And what a joy that was. I knew that I had to go pick up the book at the library without even reading the card, but reading it revealed it was as confusing and poorly designed as the catalog website.

First, the return address is obviously the factory where these things are printed:

Thanks. That’s useless. What if I don’t know where the library is and I need, say, directions on Google Maps? This should not be the most prominent address on the card.

What else can we find on this card, this card that is filled with type that is boringly consistent in its face, style, size, and spacing, this card that is completely devoid of useful elements like contrast and organization?

We can find the same capitalization whimsy:

We can find a “print date,” which is maybe useful (I can’t think of how) but certainly shouldn’t be as prominent as the rest of the text.

We can find a “Due Date,” which must be the date by which I must pick up the book to avoid the $1 fee. I suppose it’s the date I’m “due” at the library?

We can’t quickly find the phone number of the library we need, because it’s buried with sixty others.

We can’t know the secret message, because a sticker is covering it. Does the fun ever end?

And why is there a $1 late fee for not picking up the book? The book is at another library now… so what? If they want to curtail the expense of transporting books back and forth for people who casually request them on a whim, the threat of a $1 fee isn’t going to stop anyone. And anyways, anyone who survived the maze of the Horizon Information Portal is certainly serious about wanting the book they request.

I took the card to the library, assuming I’d need it to get the book. But what if I had assumed I didn’t need it? I did, in fact, need it, it turns out, but there’s no indication on the card that I should carry it with me. (Maybe that was the secret message?) I was sent back to my house twice when applying for a card (first I didn’t have photo ID, then I didn’t have proof of address), so I’m guessing they wouldn’t be too forgiving about forgetting my magical postcard either.

Deep Breaths

Now I’m all set, thoroughly enjoying Twyla Tharp’s “The Creative Habit,” but this isn’t the last time I’ll have to use the system.

Why complain about a library catalog system and the postcard it sends? Because I believe these systems are fundamentally impaired, plagued by bad design. I don’t believe there’s anything arrogant about wanting something better. The website and the card are both obviously the product of design by engineers who possess either little concern for usability or lack the skills to design for it. That’s okay; it shouldn’t be their job to take care of both code and presentation unless they’re adequately talented in both. But it would benefit everyone — library staff, technicians, and engineers as well card-carrying library users — to have a talented designer refactor this system from the ground up.

Have your online library experiences been any better?