tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2954359812249072053.post566398644284103538..comments2023-12-15T23:33:59.034-06:00Comments on Cary Millsap: Messed-Up App of the DayCary Millsaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16697498718050285274noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2954359812249072053.post-34900903601886137142008-12-02T15:49:00.000-06:002008-12-02T15:49:00.000-06:00Yes, I got the miles into my British Airways accou...Yes, I got the miles into my British Airways account. And I <I>did</I> actually talk to a human on the phone—a British one, in fact. I had to talk to someone to figure out why my BA account, to which I similarly logged a few thousand miles a few years ago, would not let me log in. ...The account had expired, as I am sure this one will before I use the miles in it.<BR/><BR/>...Which I guess is exactly your point.Cary Millsaphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16697498718050285274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2954359812249072053.post-76786136401808684582008-12-02T15:14:00.000-06:002008-12-02T15:14:00.000-06:00So you are stuck without the miles? Or did you th...So you are stuck without the miles? Or did you then call their 800# and talk to a human and get it cleared up? <BR/><BR/>Sometimes I wonder if all the "free" benefits of the frequent flyer and other affinity accounts are really worth the hassle.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05675067661830660377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2954359812249072053.post-33492913010719659352008-11-25T18:19:00.000-06:002008-11-25T18:19:00.000-06:00Ha! You're right. Imagine how many people would be...Ha! You're right. Imagine how many people would be reading about it if <A HREF="http://joelonsoftware.com" REL="nofollow">Joel Spolsky</A> started talking about it. ;/Cary Millsaphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16697498718050285274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2954359812249072053.post-23392174154511465532008-11-25T17:44:00.000-06:002008-11-25T17:44:00.000-06:00And don't forget:You never know who you're going t...And don't forget:<BR/><BR/>You never know <I>who</I> you're going to upset, or how many people worldwide they will tell!Joel Garryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13325061229393838224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2954359812249072053.post-84865880148878715322008-11-24T08:32:00.000-06:002008-11-24T08:32:00.000-06:00Brian, excellent points. Thank you.Brian, excellent points. Thank you.Cary Millsaphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16697498718050285274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2954359812249072053.post-63897893307965204342008-11-24T08:17:00.000-06:002008-11-24T08:17:00.000-06:00"Don't ask for information you can derive." That i..."Don't ask for information you can derive." That is not only for convenience, but for data integrity as well. What if the passed data conflicts the data stored in the system? We're going to trust the system anyway.<BR/><BR/>As for when to pass the error. That's a harder one. Should the system have verified the data first and then given all the problems? What if there were multiple problems? What if those problems are actually built upon each other? What if some problems can only be determined by actually starting the process, such as INSERTing data INTO the database? What if it takes time to do the data verification, but we have an immediate check that we can show a response right away? Would the user prefer speed or completeness?<BR/><BR/>Submitting the application again when it takes time to fill out, would seem to be the real issue here. Perhaps the system should have stored the request for later filing, either by you, or automatically. Perhaps the system should have a separate verification procedures so the user can see what would have happened had the action been processed today.<BR/><BR/>It seems that in this case, it was the conglomeration of finding the data, typing it in a second time, and a verification error, built up to an annoying problem. Remove just one of the three issues, and it possibly would have been much less annoying.Brian Tkatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320700842381820277noreply@blogger.com