Lifted: A Usability Tale

by Paul Sherman on November 19, 2007 · Comments

in Everything Else


(Click picture to see full-sized)

I just bought the girls the movie Ratatouille this weekend. Included on the DVD is a Pixar short called “Lifted”, a funny little bit about two LGM’s (little green men; aka aliens) practicing their abduction via tractor-beam skills on a sleeping farmer.The smaller LGM, in training to operate the tractor beam system, is quite daunted by the hundreds and hundreds of identical little switches, makes some hilarious errors of commission (as well as one big error of omission), and finally becomes frustrated, with hilariously slapstick results.

Worth seeing. Follow this link to watch a low-res version.

  • Nice catch: it never even dawned on me how much of a cautionary usability tale that was. That poor alien trainee really could've used a label maker. It reminds me of some of my electronics where all of the labels and controls are etched in black on black. I need a flashlight and magnifying glass to figure out which slot on the carousel I put the DVD in.
blog comments powered by Disqus

Previous post:

Next post: