Computers in movies also warrant suspended disbelief
Computers in movies also warrant suspended disbelief Some time ago, I watched Jack Bauer from the TV series “24″ use his cellphone camera to magnify a serial number on a jacket 200 feet away. That said, I was also willing to suspend disbelief that his PDA can download an abandoned building’s schematics in a matter of seconds. (and that they were able to retrieve that schematic diagram in the first place!)
Would watching a show like “24″ where computers are standard props have any effect on the way we perceive technology and usability? Jakob Nielsen thinks they might. Could it potentially explain why we, the populace, expect to understand any interface we sit in front of and rant if we can’t figure it out? Would it explain why we have a hankering for everything voice activated?
In his chuckle-inducing article “Usability in the Movies — Top 10 Bloopers ” he summarizes that “User interfaces in film are more exciting than they are realistic, and heroes have far too easy a time using foreign systems. ” Here are some of my favorites:
1) “This is Unix, It’s easy.” Enough said. 
2) “You’ve Got Mail” is always good news. Wading through hundreds of emails after getting back from holiday break makes these three words cause for trepidation. (”Nooo! I still have 243 unread emails!”)
3) “Big fonts. ” Another website observed that they seem to be an inch high. Imagine glaring “Yes” and “No” buttons and fullscreen “Enter Password” screens.
