Lippard.Multics 1986-03-09 11:54:29 mst Sun
Subject:  RE: please be seated, we'll be logging in ..
Date:  Saturday, 8 March 1986 20:30 mst
From:  Jerry Crow
To:  {mbx >udd>m>jjl>misc>misc}

Speaking of keycaps gone awry ...

Service Merchandise, a national catalog order retailer, has a local outlet.
Like  Labelle's (and other similar outlets), SM's inventory and ordering is
on  line;  all  ordering  is  done via terminals (SM, BTW, does most of its
corporate  TP  on  large scale Honeywell gear running GCOS 8).  Unlike most
others,  SM has terminals available for direct customer use (in addition to
the devices operated by clerks).  The software is reasonably well designed.
Televideo  terminals  are  used  and  the  relevant  keys  are color coded;
non-useful  keys  cannot  be depressed.  Menus are truly simplistic: "PRESS
BLUE  KEY  TO  START", etc.  So simple, in fact, that the first time I used
one  it  took  me  several  tries  to  get an order in because I was making
assumptions  about the keyboard, menu interface, etc., that were not valid.
Anyway ...

One  night  I was using one of these terminals and noticed that someone had
rearranged the keycaps on the numerical keys.  The upper left numerics went
something  like  1  3  4  2, and the 5 was missing its cap altogether.  The
numeric keys are rather central to the order transaction since products are
identified  by  a  numeric  catalog number.  After successfully entering my
order by using keys based upon physical position rather than keycap legend,
I  stood  off  to  one  side and watched to see how many customers would be
foiled  by the keycap rearrangement.  No less than 8 out of the next 9; the
odd  man  out  was  no  doubt computer literate.  I took pity on one of the
majority  and advised him of the problem.  None of the 8 sought assistance;
they just walked away from the device, confused and frustrated.

When  I  tried  to  inform the supervisor at the information desk about the
problem,  she did not appear to understand the nuances of the situation.  I
did not press (sorry, I couldn't resist) the issue.