PixelMEDIA Inc.

Riding the Boston subway recently, I noticed several people crowded around one of the doors in the center of the car despite a clearly worded warning: DO NOT STAND IN FRONT OF DOORS. They stayed at the door during several stops, but did not get off. People getting on and off had to squeeze by them. The train wasn’t especially crowded; there was plenty of space away from the doors. So why were these people huddled in the one spot they were not supposed to be?

I realized that this group was trying to decipher the subway map, which had been placed directly above the door.

The directive was unambiguous: DO NOT STAND IN FRONT OF DOORS. Safety and efficiency were the primary concerns. Yet the layout of the car required the users to defy the warning in order to get the information they needed to reach their destination. In addition, the map itself was squeezed into an extremely tight space. The type size was small, crowded, and set at the 45-degree angle. (It was the odd angle of the people’s heads, in fact, that clued me to why they were at the door in the first place.)

Note: necessity trumps instruction
Even dire warnings set in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

I speculated on the decision-making that created this potentially dangerous situation. Was there a usability professional involved? Did someone think that putting the stop names near the door would actually facilitate the process of identifying one’s stop and getting off the train?

Note: business trumps usability
I settled on another theory: misplaced priorities. From the front to the back of the car, every space at eye level was dedicated to advertising. Usability, efficiency, and safety were demoted in favor of revenue generation. I imagined the conversations that took place as the interiors of the cars were configured. I hoped that at least one usability advocate pointed out that the doorways presented riders with an impossible choice. But I knew that business concerns held sway.

Note: anxiety trumps brand
I didn’t have to ride the subway to learn this. It’s a scenario that’s common in the world of website design. The people at the door were placed in a state of anxiety: forced to ignore the warning while they struggled to locate their stop. I’m sure that they were relieved when they stepped off the subway. If they were tourists, coveted by the city, what was their impression of Boston? Will they use the subway again to explore other parts of the city? Did the advertisers get a return on their investment,  or were the riders too busy trying to navigate the system to look at the ads?

Advertising may earn short-term dollars, but usability is an investment that earns better feedback, return visitors, and true brand equity.

Tags: brand, brand experience, Experience Design, Usability, User Experience