Horrible Souvenirs

These little souvenirs in the picture above look sort of cute. But when you realise you can buy the EXACT same thing on all the Aegean Islands with the sole difference being the name written on the side, it stops being cute. (at least to me)

Even more intriguing are the "generic-type" souvenirs like mugs, bags and (even) postcards that seem to have spread worldwide. I am talking about the EXACT same products, the only difference being the name written on them. Seen those black bags with "I love Paris"/"I love Barcelona" etc?... Or those postcards with cute little cats from irrelevant origin, in an irrelevant setting with the text "Greetings from Amsterdam"?

I wonder, who buys this stuff? And, even more important, why?

But maybe I have got it all wrong. Maybe the fact that you can find the exact same thing even in your hometown is what people love about it! Perhaps that is what makes it "fashionable"... Honestly I don't know.

The fountains of Loo-land

Here is another design curiosity. We all know the water faucets with the sensors right? (the ones which you place your hands under and water automatically starts flowing).

These guys/girls at Girona Airport really took the design a step further.

Now the water starts flowing whenever you stand or pass in front of the washing basin!

So whether you are taking soap, drying your hands, looking in the mirror or just passing by, the water will run!

Hooray! The fountains are open! --- Really, that a waste of water...

Soap Quiz

I have a quiz for you today. Look at the picture above and answer the following question:

Where do you think the soap is going to come out from? A, B or C ?

The answer is B!

Unfortunately I wasn't smart enough to guess correctly. I went for C and as a result a blob of soap went for the sleeve of my shirt!!! But apparently I was not the only one making the wrong guess. Judging by the huge lump of wasted soap by the washing basin (see picture) a lot of people must have gone for answer A (or C, but in my experience in that case the blue soap ends up on your crisp clean white shirt instead of on the table).

So, here is another question for you. Is the above a result of:

A. Stupid people like myself who can't seem to make the right guess.

or

B. Bad and ambiguous design.

I go for B. This soap dispenser is absolutely unclear in its communication with people.

On most dispensers of this kind the soap comes out :

A. From the bottom. (makes sence if you think of the way soap is stored in it)

AND/OR

B. Near the handle/lever that dispenses the soap (also makes sense, you can then operate the dispenser with one hand).

So the designers of this piece obviously went against all these conventions (OK, no harm done - I I am fond of trying new stuff too) but they forgot to indicate WHERE THE SOAP COMES OUT FROM. And I am not talking about stickers... Just a giving the corresponding piece the typical dispenser shape (i.e. little tube facing downwards) would have done the trick.

But well, what is usability worth if it comes to making a dispenser look sleek? (if at all!)

NS HiSpeed website far from user friendly

Want to book a train ticket online? Nothing quicker and easier than that right? The Dutch international train ticket website (NS HiSpeed) proves this wrong. Be wary, if you try to book a ticket you are in for something that might become an extremely frustrating adventure.

After wasting my time last night and not achieving anything I wanted to point out the following shortcomings of the NS HiSpeed website:

• NS HiSpeed offers tickets that are not available (i.e. you enter a destination and date and some of the results that appear turn out to NOT be available after all - extremely frustrating)
• That some days on the price-calendar are marked as "days with special price"; this turns out to not be true either.
• Some tickets that ARE available are shown as unavailable. (this is mostly the case when you buy a return ticket)
• Payment is impossible - there must be a technical problem with the website. I have tried using various methods.
• There are no amenities for people booking tickets from outside the Netherlands. You can't receive your tickets on a non-Dutch address and there is no international customer service/reservation number that you can call (not to mention that the website is only partially translated).
• And as icing on the cake, guess what... Apparently they DO care for their customer's opinions. That's why, in aim to improve their website and services, they have this wonderful online questionnaire asking you many useful questions like whether you like the colors of their website...!

So, I think it's clear. I am taking the bus after all...