pointing out the obvious

This time, I didn’t see a great usability decision made in a coffee shop. Instead, it was at the Queen St subway station.

If I am like most people, when you exit a subway train and climb the stairs to the main level of the station, you have no idea what direction you are facing. Without a sense of direction, you are faced with choosing from at least 2 different exits - each exit then branching into at least 2 (often 3) different staircases leading to street level. The signage in the station that describes these exits is usually hard to find or read, and requires a few seconds to process. A few more seconds than you have. If you ride the subway during rush hour, stopping to process the sign is like stopping to tie your shoes during the running of the bulls. So you blindly pick an exit, and hope for the best. After 5 trips to work, I figure it out, but non-regulars don’t have that kind of time.
So, what did I see this morning? Directly in front of where the turnstiles let thousands of people out of the station, in the centre of the station, on the floor - where most people are looking - is a large white arrow, in a black circle, with an N at the top. It looks just like one of those things on a map, that point north, so you know which way to hold it. Gosh Beav’, maybe it is one of those things.

Instantly, I knew exactly which direction I was facing, thus which exit to take, then which branching exit to follow. Brilliant. It probably cost all of $20, and might actually help someone.

I hope to see more where that came from.

With all the lame game-ish shows on tv these days, like american idol, amazing race, eat something gross fear factor, dancing with the stars, survivor 43, and the like, why hasn’t hollywood come up with a more interactive idea? Why not host a show that pays the viewers? To use a lame example - remake “Murder She Wrote” but axe Jessica Fletcher. Make the audience solve it. $1million for the person who solves the fake mystery. $150k per week in prizes for finding necessary clues, which are broadcast prior to the following weeks episode, along with the name of the person who found it and the money they won.

If we pump up the interactivity… Have the audience participate in the show. Maybe they actually have to go somewhere to find the clue (though, I’m sure people would dig up a rainforest trying to find a lame clue). Maybe the winner of last weeks ‘clue’ gets to appear on the next show. Maybe the camera crew shoots the next episode AT THEIR HOUSE. It could be Matlock meets a home makeover.

It’s just as lame as the rest of the concepts, but is something new.

Just recently, my better half and I converted our front (and back) lawn from grass to naturalized gardens. We dug out the grass (and are composting it), turned the soil with manure, invested in some native plants and some cedar mulch so that it doesn’t all blow away. It’s a little early to see the real results, but it is starting to look and smell amazing.

The neighbors are a little confused. They think the naturalized lawn across the street looks like ‘a forest’, which is probably the biggest compliment you can get in the naturalized world. Most are used to the manicured lawn, a few exotic plants and constant watering.

My neighbor did suggest that “if it were up to him, he would cut down the 25 year old maple tree in my front yard because it makes a mess in the fall”. Stunned, I instantly thought of my lawyer and made sure she was on speed dial.

Then I read about how the city mowed over Deborah Dale’s naturalized garden. It’s depressing, but I completely understand how it happened. My neighborhood is balanced between the old-school manicured lawn crowd, and the naturalized garden crowd.

My neighbor spends most of his time in the backyard shooting birds and squirrels with his hose. I guess my 3 birdfeeders aren’t helping.

Awesome.