Why are good user interfaces so hard? I guess it has something to do with putting yourself in somebody elses shoes. Something that engineers by nature are known not to be very good at – so we should not expect it from them. That’s why we have two dedicated interation designers here at conject.

One of my favorite anti-pattern is to put explanations into user interfaces instead of creating an interface that guides the user to the desired action. Witness for example this panel in the elevator at Munich airport. Clearly it feels natural for a lot of people to point to the destination they want to go to, rather then pointing to the floor number next to it.

I am sure you have seen the same pattern at soda dispensers in the cafeteria of you choice. On top you have a picture of the brand, below a button to press to get the drink. Typically the pictures of the brands are all rubbed out, because people like to point to what they want.