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Subject:I got thrown for a loop. From:"Chuck Martin" <cm -at- writeforyou -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 13 Oct 2003 10:23:39 -0700
I could use a little feedback here. I made a suggestion that I believe is a
good one, that is something I've seen elsewhere--all over, as a matter of
fact--that is incedibly helpful. When I suggested it, I got a response that
sort of floored me, and now I'm at loggerheads trying to come up with
concrete reasons. I'm reaching out for some suggestions.
Here's the deal. A Web application. Users sign in and then do work.
In every other Web application I've worked on, not to mention tons of Web
sites I've visited, once you sign in, somewhere in the page header or along
the left navigation, there's personalization. On my My Yahoo! page, it says
"Hello Chuck." My credit union's online access has my account name and
number at the top of the page. I could go on, but you get the ides.
So I made the suggestionlast week "I just realized, in most places in [our
application],when you're signed in, there's no indication of who you are.
(This is a common thing in web apps, to have the username or person's name
somewhere in the top pane.)"
My manager, who is Marketing Director (yeah, I know....), and who has shared
my passion for creating usable products, wrote this response: "And what is
the benefit of the user knowing who they are?"
This is something that I've beleivedso useful that I've never questioned it,
and so when it is now questioned, I'm having trouble quantifying an answer.
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