Usability humor

This page shows a few examples of intended or unintended UX humor that I have come across over the years.

The mysterious life of UX Designers

Medieval help desk

What Online checkout looks like in real life

Thirty-two myths about UX Design

Including:

  • Design is about making a website look good;
  • Design has to be original;
  • If your design is good, small details don’t matter;
  • Search will solve a website’s navigation problems.

Creating a password

cabbage
Sorry, the password must be more than 8 characters.

boiledcabbage
Sorry, the password must contain 1 numerical character.

1 boiled cabbage
Sorry, the password cannot have blank spaces.

50fuckingboiledcabbages
Sorry, the password must contain at least one upper case character.

50FUCKINGboiledcabbages
Sorry, the password cannot use more than one upper case character consecutively.

50FuckingBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourArse.IfYouDon’tGiveMeAccessImmediately
Sorry, the password cannot contain punctuation.

NowIAmGettingReallyPissedOff50FuckingBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourArseIfYouDontGiveMeAccessImmediately
Sorry, that password is already in use.

Credit: https://letvent.com/2014/05/09/creating-a-password-boiled-cabbage/

Creating a search design that works

My personal flow chart for discovery of whether a search design is likely to work:

1.       Does it work exactly like Google?
If yes, skip to step 3.
If no, continue to step 2.

2.       Change the design. Return to step 1.

3.       Excellent, you’re done.

Credit: Caroline Jarrett.

An alternative version of the SUS questionnaire

  1. I thought there was too much consistency in this website.
  2. I found this questionnaire very cumbersome to fill out.
  3. I thought the website was extremely bizarre.
  4. This usability test was a violation of my constitutional rights.
  5. Sometimes I hear voices telling me to hurt myself.
  6. I would imagine that most people would prefer to use this website in the nude.
  7. I found the facilitator to be extremely odd.
  8. I liked the water that was provided during the test.
  9. I am a complete moron, no doubt about it.
  10. Sometimes, I think I am God.

Credit: Jim Lewis

Light bulbs

Q: How many UX professionals does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: It depends!

Q: How many human factors engineers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: 7 plus or minus 2

Q: How many user researchers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Are we sure the users need a new light bulb?  How do they feel about their experience in the dark?  Can they show us how they go about turning on the light?

Q: How many ergonomists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: None.  Any ergonomist knows there’s not enough room to screw in a lightbulb.

Visibility and feedback

Every time you try to operate on of these weird black controls that are labelled in black on a black background, a little black light lights up black to let you know you’ve done it.

— Douglas Adams