Spot your train southern Railway – not smart phone friendly

I use this site often http://www.trainenquiry.com/indexNS.aspx on the desktop browser.  Recently I started using an iPhone 3GS IOS 5 for browsing on the move. Today morning I wanted to check on a train entered the train number and clicked on search.
Guess what?
2 browser window opened up, each of which was an online advertisement. All I was seeing is the Advertisement and I was searching for the “train number” and the station name.

The problem is that the smart phone display the last opened page. So I lost the main page.

Would be happy if the site works on all browsers and have the advertisement run inline and no new browser windows.

The Art & Science of Seductive Interactions

Why only few interactions are successful?
It is not just usability, there are few more things beyond to make users to stick on with your product or service.

check out the new facebook layout

I have been wondering why the url had subdomain called “new”
http://www.new.facebook.com and it turned out that Facebook is trying out a new layout.

A nice way to gain acceptance from users to try out old layout to new layout. If people still stick on the old design the designers at facebook know that their design sucks

Guys your new design is kewl, I am sure more users will adopt to the new design. All the best.
Technorati Tags: facebook, layout, new design, design, users, acceptance, usability, screen, designers

The Devil in my Mahindra Renault Logan

Meet the Devil right here. After I took my car from my first free service, I returned home and went to buy fruits along with my family. After shopping, we got in to the car, my wife and my son did enter the right side back door as the opposite doors was no were possible to open because I had parked next to wall close to the door. Usually they get in to the companion front seat.

So we drove back home and I had completely switched off my car, so did the central locking system open the safety latches, so as to open the door. But the right side rear door was not opening, she was pulling the lever for sometime, She screamed at me to help her unlock the door, sitting in the driver seat, I turned back and pulled the lever, the door didn’t open. The opposite side door was already facing the wall this time too, as I had done the parking next to a wall.

I unlocked my door, that was possible. Then I felt “Shit man, I asked them to fix the rattling noise at the left side front door, Why did they touch the back door? I thought they screwed the back door” I reached to the back door and pull the lever to unlock the back door. I was crazy, how come it works from outside and not inside.

Took the car this morning “Monday” to the service station.
Don’t you want to meet the devil in my Mahindra Renault Logan. Here it is…

Latch or manual lever in ON position top

Latch or manual lever in OFF position top

Some one at the service station had turned the lever to “ON” State.

The best part is that this small lever works manually, and is called the child safety lock for the rear doors.

How does this work?
If you are going to make sure that kids alone are traveling with you, you switch on the lever and then lock the rear doors.

What ever the damn situation may be. Let it be accident or fire or hell freezes over your car. Your kids can’t unlock the back side car doors.
You must noticed in the Cops cars. They put the criminals back at the rear seats and lock it. No matter what, they can’t unlock from inside. Some one needs to unlock the door from outside, even when central door locking unlocks the safety latch.

Why would I choose to have my kid in the back seats while leaving the car in the off state.

What a moron usability on the Mahindra Renault Logan?
Why can’t the child door lock feature be part of central locking system. If the central locking system disables the safety latch, even the door should be made to open from inside.

Update:
I heard from a close friend, all rear door child lock performs the same way as the Mahindra Logan. Just to note, I have updgraded from Maruti 800, so I am totally unaware of the rear child safety lock. Still I would like all cars to posesses intelligent system. So control for the driver to have more control on the doors or atleast the dashboard to have controls so that any passenger can disable the rear door child lock.

Some more post which are in continuation with Mahindra Renault Logan

1. Why Mahindra Logan, Renault Logan, Dacia Logan?
2. Mahindra Logan – Usability Explored
3. Is your Mahindra Logan in safe hands – After sales, What service
4. Mahindra Logan – Look out for the new version
5. Mahindra Renault Logan free service – unveiled
6. The Devil in my Mahindra Renault Logan
7. Tested on animals – Mahindra Renault Logan

Technorati Tags: Renault, Logan, Mahindra Renault Logan, Review, safety, kids, usability, car, chennai, dealer, howto, best, petrol, diesel, fear, marketing, sales, savings, automobiles

Mahindra Renault Logan free service – unveiled

My First Mahindra Renault Logan 1.4 GLX service explained and here is the userexperience. Comparison with Maruti Service explained

First things first: I had a loyal Maruti 800 for 4 long years 2003-2007 untill I replaced it with a Mahindra Renault Logan 1.4 GLX 2007.

My first experience with GMS motors | Sahil motors in terms of service.
I had been to the service station personally to drop my Mahindra Renault Logan last Friday the 21st of December 2007, so a gentleman supervisor assisted me, early morning at 9:10 A.M, took careful notes.

My requests were:

1. Front left door rattling noise
2. Remove the plastic covers for the back seats
3. Replace new headlamps black dot stickers
4. Remove the reverse horn and not the reverse horn which comes with my remote lock.
5. Scratch on the left side doors (check and give me the quote)

Apart from the above list, His suggestions were:

1. Anti corrosion coating under the car body ( I stopped him. When he suggested that, as I know that the rubber coating is not gonna do anything good for the car)
2. Fully powder coating of the body of car with a scratch resistant formula (comes with a 3 year warranty) cost a mere 3700 and odd Rupees. Item 5 of the above wish list is covered.
3. Labour charge of 150 Rupees + tax for just removing the reverse horn. That would be Item no 4 of my wish list.

As far I know there is no oil change in this service and I was not charged for that.
What things got fixed and what not?

1. Front door rattling noise not fixed, and the safety latch of the left door got buried. Any ways that safety latch was not of any use, you could still open the door with the safety latch down.
2. Our supervisor was holistic, he felt that it was better if I not remove the back seat covers for quiet some time as it is still a new car, his explanations went more like “have it for some more months, kids would tear for you”. What a shame? tell me either you forgot it or your technicians were lazy enough to unlock the rear seats to remove the plastic cover.
3. One thing rightly done was to replace the black dots on my headlamps
4. The second thing, reverse horn removed and placed in the boot.
5. Before doing the scratch painting fix. It was supposed to be tested, after the testing was done, the call said the scratch can fixed. Meanwhile a friend suggested with sticker which would work out cheaper. So I asked them not to fix the scratch.

There happened one evil incident on my Mahindra Renault Logan, While We returned home from shopping the same after service. My wife and son at the back seats. My right side back door could not be opened from inside. So what did happen? know it right here.

Now let us look in to the comparison of Mahindra Renault Logan and Maruti Service centers

My experience at Maruti service center
A profile or service history of my Maruti 800 was already available with the service advisor
A job sheet, which will note the requirements for the service to be done for my car

This job sheet comprises of

1. history of previously done KMS
2. history of parts changed previously
3. Things to do list
4. Dents and body parts marked when I leave my car for service ( a diagram of car top view and side view detailed diagram to mark the scratches and dents)
5. Accessories contained in my car, which include how many floor mats, Air refresher, dolls, body cover (the plastic one) and what ever minute details which belong to the owner.
6. Apart from that the costing proposal, date and time of delivery
7. after delivery a customer feedback form to be posted after driving the car (postage will be paid by the addressee)

Now on the Mahindra Renault Logan service center
Job sheet contains

1. to do list of service
2. date and time of delivery
3. ofcourse the customer feedback form before even you pay the service bills and before even you touch the car.
4. once nice badge which is attached to the mirror which talks about the names service adviser, technician and the quality inspector. Apart from that I have the mobile number.

At the time of delivery, My experience with the Maruti’s was best when compared with the Mahindra’s.

The first free service was charged 75 Rupees for replacement of odd stuffs + labour charges + tax. Did I say free service.

Some more post which are in continuation with Mahindra Renault Logan

1. Why Mahindra Logan, Renault Logan, Dacia Logan?
2. Mahindra Logan – Usability Explored
3. Is your Mahindra Logan in safe hands – After sales, What service
4. Mahindra Logan – Look out for the new version
5. Mahindra Renault Logan free service – unveiled
6. The Devil in my Mahindra Renault Logan
7. Tested on animals – Mahindra Renault Logan

Technorati Tags: Renault, Logan, Mahindra Renault Logan, Review, safety, kids, usability, car, chennai, dealer, howto, best, petrol, diesel, fear, marketing, sales, savings, automobiles

Mahindra Renault Logan – Usability Explored, Review

I hate to say that being an owner of the new Mahindra Renault Logan 1.4 GLX, I have a car which is not fully usable. The things which are of my concern.

Is the driver, the master of the Power windows, is he fully in control.

Mahindra Renault Logan Dashboard having only front power windows controls

Below is the master control of power windows near the driver window for the Hyundai Accent.

Does the Mahindra Renault Logan door “safety latch” do its functionality, Is my kid safe inside this car.

Watch the first and the second video.

How Mahindra Renault Logan door safety latch works even when child lock on.

Hyundai Car safety latch, how it works

Yo dear, If I am the Driver how do I unlock the engine hood, just scream at the fellow passenger to pull the lever. The lever is placed on the left extreme of the driver.

Hyundai Engine hood and Petrol cap lever right near the foot of the driver.

Just stretch your arms, fiddle around near your leg. You can adjust the light beam.

Mahindra Renault Logan beam adjustment knob

Maruti Swift Car light level switch, Where the driver can reach the controls easily

Problems which you could face, if you owned a Mahindra Renault Logan.
As soon as you turn on the keys of your car and switch on the A/C, you could hear whistling sound.

Seems like that is because of the power steering pump, which does that car wrecking sound, putting you in shame in front of your friends. A brand new car and that too from the power steering, it means either you are bad driver that you screwed up the car or the car, screwed you up, either ways the owner is screwed at the end.

Horrible mud flaps.
don’t know whether it is Mahindra Renault Logan engineers design or the people at showroom didn’t do the proper fittings

Will update you with the photos soon.

Well the Mahindra Renault Logan Engineers need not be mad at me. At least I have done the home work for them. Things can be taken in the right spirits.

Here is my test drive experience on Mahindra Renault Logan

Some more post on Mahindra Renault Logan

1. How I bought my new Mahindra Logan – space, value for money
2. Why Mahindra Logan, Renault Logan, Dacia Logan?
3. Is your Mahindra Logan in safe hands – After sales, What service
4. Mahindra Logan – Look out for the new version
5. Mahindra Renault Logan free service – unveiled
6. The Devil in my Mahindra Renault Logan
7. Tested on animals – Mahindra Renault Logan

Technorati Tags: Renault, Logan, Mahindra Renault Logan, Review, safety, kids, usability, car, chennai, dealer, howto, best, petrol, diesel, fear, marketing, sales, savings, automobiles

FusionCharts Free V2 – Free Flash Charts

Good news from IndSoft Global for Software/ Web developers. Now IndSoft Global is offering its Fusion charts V2 for Free.

Terms of use:

InfoSoft Global grants you a nonexclusive right to use FusionCharts Free subject to the following terms and conditions:

• FusionCharts Free can be used for free if you are a individual/research/commercial user.
• FusionCharts Free can be distributed for free with your free or commercial softwares, irrespective of whether they’re open source or closed source.
• You must not sell FusionCharts Free as a component in itself. However, your commercial product can embed FusionCharts Free.
• You must not represent in any way that you’re the author of FusionCharts Free.

That’s right it is free and the best part is the license, check the full terms of use right here.

Now your websites and products could offer RIA experience with interactive & meaningful flash charts.

You may want to know why the software is free and the comparison between the new Fusion Charts V3 and V2, find the info right here

Start downloading the Free Fusion charts V2 software right here

Like this link, care to share it with fellow developers.

This site may harm your computer

If you did search with google for keywords, google suggest for a potential threat from a site, WOW that is proactive search results.

Google guys nice work, hats of to you guys.

click on the above image for the search results, to find the key words.

If you wanted to know what the link suggests for the search results “This site may harm your computer“

How could google engineers think of such an innovation, that is why their search results rocks.

Know about Silverlight & Expression Studio in chennai

Here is a good chance for

• Creative Directors
• Design Managers
• Graphic Designers
• Interactive Designers
• Multimedia Designers
• Web Designers
• Usability Professionals
  
• UI Developers

to know more about Microsoft Silverlight and Expression studio, the seminar is happening today i.e 13th November 2007 between 6-7 PM at Dublin, ITC Hotel Park Sheraton & Towers, No.132, T.T.K. Road, Chennai-600 018.

Please Note: Registration is between 5:30 to 6pm. Please be at the venue a little in advance to ensure your entry.

Contact for more details: Mr. Brijesh (event organizer) @ 2472-8113

It is short notice and I am really sorry about that, I had saved this post as draft and forgot to publish it.

Hope to meet you all there

Designer product, bad usability

Believe me if this product is available in India, It is an absolute flop. Reason
What are the options available for you to wash the bottle?
Assume you consume milk, coffee or tea. You may have to throw the glass and the bottle.

Kindly note: I don’t mean to offend the designer of the product. It looks good, but not so good to use.

A good example of bad usability. Courtesy

Technorati Tags: usability, product, glass