Anywho, I digress …

Hello Ladies!

Recently I visited a Large Search Engine Company to take part in a User Experience study.  I am sworn to secrecy, so I can’t reveal the name.  I am sure you can guess 😉

I thought it would be interesting to see new features and to see how they administer the study.  And, hey!  They pay $75!  What’s not to love?

Anywho, I digress …

I was ushered into the UX lab where my eyeballs calibrated the eye tracking monitor.  Well, that’s not entirely accurate, but let’s go with it anyway.  I mentioned to the UX lady that the last UX study I had taken part in was quite a few years ago.

Me: “The last study I took part in was at DEC where I had to change the toner for a printer.”

UX Lady: What’s DEC?

Me: <Eyebrows raised>  “Digital Equipment Corporation … a computer company.”

UXL: “I haven’t heard of them.  Are they around here?”

Me: <Eyebrows remain elevated> “Not any more.  They were acquired by Compaq.”

UXL: “I don’t know them either.”

Me: <Eyebrows out of control, smug> “I was a Kernel Engineer there.”

UXL: “A kernel?”

Me: <Crest fallen> “Um.  It is the heart of the Unix operating system.”

UXL: “I’m not technical.”

Me: <That’ll teach me>

I was initially surprised that someone at Big Search Engine Company was so unsavvy – their hiring process is famous for weeding out anyone with a GPA under 4.0 and a personality.  Zing!

But after noodling on it a while, I realized two things.

1. It makes perfect sense to have someone running the study who has no clue what is going on under the covers.
2. I am an old showoff and seem to be turning into my dad. Yikes!

Is that a walrus? In a bikini?

During the study, I was asked by the UXL to try out a search that (unexpectedly!) resulted in me finding a picture of a walrus in a bikini.  It caused a bit of a hiccup in the process as we were both laughing.  Once we got that under control we could hear the guys behind the two-way mirror snorting in amusement.  The clip reel at the release party should be a sight to behold.

Lisa.