By nature, I tend to be a trusting person. But as a good (if I do say so myself) user
experience practitioner, I have developed some pretty good instincts for
imagining a wide range of possible behaviors when someone interacts with a
design. And the ones most important to consider
in design is when events might go seriously wrong. I call this my fantasy suspicion mode.
What I would like to know is which of these you think are
real problems. And which ones are my suspicions just good food for thought.
·
I brought my car in for an oil change and
emissions inspection today. When it was
done, I walked outside and there was my car, completely unattended, with the
keys in the ignition. Anyone could have casually got in and drove away. Corollas might not be glamorous, but they are
one of the most stolen cars because the parts are the easiest to fence.
·
I brought in a case of empty beer bottles (Stone
IPA if you must know) to the redemption center located in the back of my
neighborhood liquor store. They have
automated machines that you insert your cans and bottles and out pops a ticket
you bring inside the store for your refund. The store also uses that area to
store cases of juice and soda. It is
completely unattended. Anyone could walk
inside, grab a case of their favorite beverage, and walk out. It abuts the parking lot, so this person
would be gone before anyone was the wiser.
If someone is willing to go to the trouble of returning a bunch of cans
and bottles for nickel refunds, are they (me) the type who might be
tempted? If it was beer . . . .
·
UPS, Fedex, and the postal service all leave
packages in the mailroom in my apartment building. We have tiny mailboxes, so
they are just lying there on the table. Almost
every day there is something from Amazon. I wonder if any of these get pinched.
I saw a sign there once that someone’s mail order medicine went missing, but it
could have been a mix-up. I’ve seen
packages from Macy’s, Maybelline, Fantasy Gaming, and lots of other attractive
sources. Would you ever be tempted?
I could go on but I think this gives you the idea. I am sure none of you would ever engage in
any of these. But am I crazy that of the
100s of people who are exposed to these temptations every day, it is too much
to ask that even 1% or 1/10 of a percent might?
