The kicker though, for me at least, is this: how many social conventions are built around an idea of how people commonly think—which in many cases is largely wrong?
For instance, using name tags at a social gathering will earn you my everlasting gratitude, especially if they would not normally be expected. So will encouraging people to look at them, and designing so that they remain visible at all times (large type helps).
There is a special spot reserved midway between Heaven and Hell (actually not, but you get the idea) for people who have the bright idea of providing name tags, then screw it up by printing them only on one side and putting them on lanyards where (in accordance with Murphy’s Law) they systematically end up chestwards.
There is a special spot reserved midway between Heaven and Hell (actually not, but you get the idea) for people who have the bright idea of providing name tags, then screw it up by printing them only on one side and putting them on lanyards where (in accordance with Murphy’s Law) they systematically end up chestwards.
Our badges at work are like this[1], and unfortunately, it has implications beyond not remembering names -- that makes it easy for an unauthorized person to go through the facility unchallenged by having the (uninformative, easily-faked) back side of the badge showing.
[1] Well, in that most people use them or something else that allows the badge to dangle and have the same problem.
The kicker though, for me at least, is this: how many social conventions are built around an idea of how people commonly think—which in many cases is largely wrong?
For instance, using name tags at a social gathering will earn you my everlasting gratitude, especially if they would not normally be expected. So will encouraging people to look at them, and designing so that they remain visible at all times (large type helps).
There is a special spot reserved midway between Heaven and Hell (actually not, but you get the idea) for people who have the bright idea of providing name tags, then screw it up by printing them only on one side and putting them on lanyards where (in accordance with Murphy’s Law) they systematically end up chestwards.
Our badges at work are like this[1], and unfortunately, it has implications beyond not remembering names -- that makes it easy for an unauthorized person to go through the facility unchallenged by having the (uninformative, easily-faked) back side of the badge showing.
[1] Well, in that most people use them or something else that allows the badge to dangle and have the same problem.