How Usable is YOUR World?

When designing a new website or new software, we should always be aware of the real world, not only to come up with new metaphors but also to match the virtual world to the real world because the user has to accomplish a task with information laying in the real world and then to complete a form as for example.

Match between system and real world and Compatibility are respectively one of Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics and one of Bastien and Scapin’s 8 ergonomic criteria and sadly, they are not followed on the Admission Network (Entertainment Ticket estore).

As you can see, it’s been asked to the customer to fill his credit card information including the expiration date.

As far as I know, expiration date on credit cards is displayed with numbers such as 06 for June and not Jun or June. So why ask the user to input June instead of 06 when he sees 06 on his credit card?

It would be easier and less error prone to adapt the interface and display a drop down showing a list of numbers from 01 to 12. I wouldn’t consider showing 06-Jun unless somebody find a credit card displaying months as full words.

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bad design by Olivier Lorrain