Why oh WHY can’t airlines can’t do a TINY bit of testing and design work when they build their websites?
Today’s little rant really is pointed at my “home” airline – BMI, but other companies guilty of such annoyances include US Airways, Alatalia, Ryanair, etc.
We all know that data changes, and the way we handle it changes (that includes the dweebs at GCHQ and Jacqui Smith, MP for Redditch – Commons Expense Fiddler and executor of idiot schemes like the UK National ID Card), but I’d wish companies do a TINY bit of testing from a Users Point of View.
A lot of development is focus on “if the code works”, and this is fine and good if it helps technically, but having an operational user interface with everything tested (especially with data transfers). If you don’t …. well here’s a small list of what’s wrong with the BMI web site at the moment:
- Phantom duplicate entries appearing
- Date of expiry of status has gone on holiday
- Password retrieval function broken – have to phone ICC to reset
- Spend Miles now completely broken.
- Impossible to change email address on account
- People have been moved to Canada, and when attempting to update, reverts back to Canada.
Now that is an ugly picture isn’t it? Well tested… my cute little backside.
An appeal to programmers: next time you test something, get FULL user testing, and to people who accept these, run full user testing, do a beta and pilot, but please TEST THE DARN THING BEFORE YOU DEPLOY IT!
More ranting next week!
