Comments on: UI Design Mistakes http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:05:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Jon http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/comment-page-1/#comment-853 Jon Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:11:34 +0000 #comment-853 on first reading I thought this was insane. Then, I thought, what if Scott meant take the text input, hash it assuming caps is off, hash it assuming caps is on, try both. on first reading I thought this was insane. Then, I thought, what if Scott meant take the text input, hash it assuming caps is off, hash it assuming caps is on, try both.

]]> By: alex http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/comment-page-1/#comment-717 alex Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:11:23 +0000 #comment-717 If you knew how passwords were encrypted, you would realize that the password checker has no idea that your password rejection is due to a case figure. But since it sees that the caps lock key is on, it gives an advice that it may be your issue. In fact the system only know a hash of your password, that was generated when you created it. There is no way to figure out the original password from this hash. Then, everytime some program asks for your password, it in hashs your entry and compare the resulting hash with the one stored on system. And if it does not match, it is rejected. You see, at no time you original password is compared, and so no guess about case sensitive can be done. If you knew how passwords were encrypted, you would realize that the password checker has no idea that your password rejection is due to a case figure. But since it sees that the caps lock key is on, it gives an advice that it may be your issue.
In fact the system only know a hash of your password, that was generated when you created it. There is no way to figure out the original password from this hash.
Then, everytime some program asks for your password, it in hashs your entry and compare the resulting hash with the one stored on system. And if it does not match, it is rejected.
You see, at no time you original password is compared, and so no guess about case sensitive can be done.

]]> By: H Jalonen http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/comment-page-1/#comment-239 H Jalonen Tue, 09 Oct 2007 23:52:35 +0000 #comment-239 No, I see that the problem in UI design lies even deeper. These comments have shown that some people seem to actually use Caps Lock key. But just like your suggestion and, overall, the need for notification about Caps Lock being on shows that for many people the Caps Lock key is totally useless and always in the way. Yes, useless! "It is too big." "It is in the wrong place." "Using shift key is much more handy." etc. People who need Caps Lock usually know that they need it and vice versa. So to real solution: why there is no easy way to turn off your Caps Lock key? If I recall correctly, in Windows there is no way to adjust what your computer does when you press Caps Lock. Ubuntu is no better. Last time I checked (more than a year ago) there were seven (7) different choices for Caps Lock behaviour - none of them was "Off". None! Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Actually, this time I would be glad if I were wrong. OK, this is not an ultimate solution either. A screensaver program knows who is using the computer because user has logged in and user's preferences have been loaded, but what about login screen after computer startup. There the problem would still be present and a Caps Lock notification is needed. As always, if you have a problem, you will have multiple versions of the same problem. No, I see that the problem in UI design lies even deeper.

These comments have shown that some people seem to actually use Caps Lock key. But just like your suggestion and, overall, the need for notification about Caps Lock being on shows that for many people the Caps Lock key is totally useless and always in the way. Yes, useless! “It is too big.” “It is in the wrong place.” “Using shift key is much more handy.” etc.

People who need Caps Lock usually know that they need it and vice versa.

So to real solution: why there is no easy way to turn off your Caps Lock key? If I recall correctly, in Windows there is no way to adjust what your computer does when you press Caps Lock. Ubuntu is no better. Last time I checked (more than a year ago) there were seven (7) different choices for Caps Lock behaviour - none of them was “Off”. None! Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Actually, this time I would be glad if I were wrong.

OK, this is not an ultimate solution either. A screensaver program knows who is using the computer because user has logged in and user’s preferences have been loaded, but what about login screen after computer startup. There the problem would still be present and a Caps Lock notification is needed. As always, if you have a problem, you will have multiple versions of the same problem.

]]> By: Robin http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/comment-page-1/#comment-238 Robin Tue, 09 Oct 2007 21:53:28 +0000 #comment-238 Sascha: Don't you have the umlaut "dead key"? It's located to the right of the ü/è key – you can press it (and nothing will appear yet, that's why it's called dead key) and then write "U" and you'll get "Ãœ". Sascha: Don’t you have the umlaut “dead key”? It’s located to the right of the ü/è key – you can press it (and nothing will appear yet, that’s why it’s called dead key) and then write “U” and you’ll get “Ãœ”.

]]> By: Eivind Uggedal http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/comment-page-1/#comment-237 Eivind Uggedal Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:50:52 +0000 #comment-237 Like other people have mentioned before me: I've often witnessed inexperienced users (during my 1st line support duties) who use the CAPS-LOCK key for entering mixed case passwords. Like other people have mentioned before me: I’ve often witnessed inexperienced users (during my 1st line support duties) who use the CAPS-LOCK key for entering mixed case passwords.

]]> By: Sascha http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/comment-page-1/#comment-236 Sascha Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:11:50 +0000 #comment-236 I use a swiss german keyboard, there are some keys I simply can't enter without caps lock (for example capital umlauts), so it would be a really bad idea to simply disable it, as it would be impossible to login with a password that contains such a char. I use a swiss german keyboard, there are some keys I simply can’t enter without caps lock (for example capital umlauts), so it would be a really bad idea to simply disable it, as it would be impossible to login with a password that contains such a char.

]]> By: wolfger http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/comment-page-1/#comment-235 wolfger Mon, 08 Oct 2007 17:20:18 +0000 #comment-235 Another UI design mistake: a Submit button (such as the one I'm about to press) that grays out after you press it, but gives no indication as to whether or not pressing it accomplished anything. Another UI design mistake: a Submit button (such as the one I’m about to press) that grays out after you press it, but gives no indication as to whether or not pressing it accomplished anything.

]]> By: wolfger http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/comment-page-1/#comment-234 wolfger Mon, 08 Oct 2007 17:15:49 +0000 #comment-234 Yeah, I'm going to have to pile on and say "lousy idea". For example, one of the passwords I use is 4 capital letters followed by 4 lower-case letters and one number. I always use the caps lock for the first 4 letters, since those 4 are not all typed with the same hand. You are correct that notifying the user after the fact is bad design, but your solution is worse. A better solution is to notify the user when caps-lock is on, *as he is typing* (because yeah, I sometimes hit caps lock instead of shift by mistake, and I can't even see the little green light on my keyboard). Yeah, I’m going to have to pile on and say “lousy idea”. For example, one of the passwords I use is 4 capital letters followed by 4 lower-case letters and one number. I always use the caps lock for the first 4 letters, since those 4 are not all typed with the same hand.

You are correct that notifying the user after the fact is bad design, but your solution is worse. A better solution is to notify the user when caps-lock is on, *as he is typing* (because yeah, I sometimes hit caps lock instead of shift by mistake, and I can’t even see the little green light on my keyboard).

]]> By: wolfger http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/comment-page-1/#comment-233 wolfger Mon, 08 Oct 2007 17:10:00 +0000 #comment-233 Yeah, I'm going to have to pile on and say "lousy idea". For example, one of the passwords I use is 4 capital letters followed by 4 lower-case letters and one number. I always use the caps lock for the first 4 letters, since those 4 are not all typed with the same hand. You are correct that notifying the user after the fact is bad design, but your solution is worse. A better solution is to notify the user when caps-lock is on, *as he is typing* (because yeah, I sometimes hit caps lock instead of shift by mistake, and I can't even see the little green light on my keyboard). Yeah, I’m going to have to pile on and say “lousy idea”. For example, one of the passwords I use is 4 capital letters followed by 4 lower-case letters and one number. I always use the caps lock for the first 4 letters, since those 4 are not all typed with the same hand.

You are correct that notifying the user after the fact is bad design, but your solution is worse. A better solution is to notify the user when caps-lock is on, *as he is typing* (because yeah, I sometimes hit caps lock instead of shift by mistake, and I can’t even see the little green light on my keyboard).

]]> By: Philipp Kern http://www.netsplit.com/2007/10/07/ui-design-mistakes/comment-page-1/#comment-232 Philipp Kern Mon, 08 Oct 2007 10:05:53 +0000 #comment-232 Caps lock helps when you are typing passwords one-handed (out of whatever reason). Caps lock helps when you are typing passwords one-handed (out of whatever reason).

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