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Commenting on my previous post ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mr_orgue pointed me at this post about the recent RWW/Facebook login mixup.
Basically, a post on Read Write Web about Facebook became the #1 google result for "Facebook Login". This resulted in a lot of people using similar behaviour to that mentioned previously clicking through in an attempt to log in to their facebook accounts. Because commenting at RWW supports OpenID, there was a facebook logo you could click on to autheticate with your facebook details... (OpenID of course connects you to the authenticating site briefly to enter these).
Despite RWW adding a big bold disclaimer at the top of the post people kept doing this. These weren't stupid people, they were just looking to login like they had done every time previously and faced with a different visual assumed it was some sort of redesign and scanned for something recognisable that would help with that task. Like a button with the facebook logo next to a form field.
The post linked above talks at length about about the implications of this.
These people represent the vast majority of internet users. It's a rare breed who actually 'Use the Internet' in terms of urls and pages links. Most people 'Log into Facebook' or 'Watch Youtube' or 'Order a Pizza'.
We can't feasibly make all these people 'more like us' (developers), nor should we try. We build websites that they can use, and they shape a future where 'the internet' means about the same as 'the pavement' and requires about as much thought when it's used.
mr_orgue pointed me at this post about the recent RWW/Facebook login mixup.Basically, a post on Read Write Web about Facebook became the #1 google result for "Facebook Login". This resulted in a lot of people using similar behaviour to that mentioned previously clicking through in an attempt to log in to their facebook accounts. Because commenting at RWW supports OpenID, there was a facebook logo you could click on to autheticate with your facebook details... (OpenID of course connects you to the authenticating site briefly to enter these).
Despite RWW adding a big bold disclaimer at the top of the post people kept doing this. These weren't stupid people, they were just looking to login like they had done every time previously and faced with a different visual assumed it was some sort of redesign and scanned for something recognisable that would help with that task. Like a button with the facebook logo next to a form field.
The post linked above talks at length about about the implications of this.
If you are an interface designer, a brand manager or a security expert, your reaction to this incident should be one of deep humility. Your interface, your brand and your security scheme is much more fragile than you'd ever dared to fear. All of your work has come to naught.
These people represent the vast majority of internet users. It's a rare breed who actually 'Use the Internet' in terms of urls and pages links. Most people 'Log into Facebook' or 'Watch Youtube' or 'Order a Pizza'.
We can't feasibly make all these people 'more like us' (developers), nor should we try. We build websites that they can use, and they shape a future where 'the internet' means about the same as 'the pavement' and requires about as much thought when it's used.
