garry blogs

I’m really frustrated with some of the 3rd party tools we use here. Sooooo ridiculously feature-packed and difficult to use!! The designer should be shot! Just because the end user (us) is not your customer (the bank), these guys just dump all the functionality in so that they can say “Yes we can do everything!” without appending “… After tearing out all your hair”.

In fact, after working in PSA IT for 3.7 years, it’s interesting to note that the only product I’m proud of producing during this time isn’t a PSA product - it’s StanChart Breeze, the best Internet banking experience in Singapore - now LIVE! http://bit.ly/aLpxI7. This product focuses on the overall user-centric experience of getting things done. The PSA products all focus on functionality because no one believes enough in HCI (human computer interface) to bother to hire any skill in that area. Backward, but I guess that’s the way non-consumer facing companies are. Some B2B 3rd party products we use in the banks are also similar; they remind me of the PSA apps we worked on - so ridiculously hard to use and clunky. Result - we use alternative means to get the job done coz everyone hates using them (unless you have none, like the poor PSA control room guys, then you just get used to it by hook or crook).

Why is it so hard to acknowledge the importance of HCI in system design? A good interface is 50% of battle won. This should be a compulsory course in IT school!

Original post at garry blogs