Comments on: The COMPASS Test – A User Interface Nightmare

By: List « I’m Right

List « I’m Right — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 22:12:34 +0000

[...] Friday, 9:00-12:30ish: Chemeketa. Placement Test, and I hung around with Sharon and Kala, sat in on their history class which was fun… Strange but fun. And all I can say about the placement test is that I agree with [url=http://www.elliotswan.com/2006/10/24/the-compass-test-a-user-interface-nightmare/]This Friend of Mine[/url] I did pretty well, though, so that was good. He was so right about the redundancy and everything, though… if you haven’t read it, do. And the scary part is that it is right on. [...]

By: Trevor

Trevor — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 02:43:07 +0000

Wow what the Heck I put my real name down. Man I must be getting guffy in my old age.

Hay I don’t beleive you. I want to see a scanned coppy of that test put up on Flickr [hay somebody had to say it.]

Another Interesting Post elly. I thank Heavens I’m not going to College for another year.

What The Heck. How am I supposed to post this. All I see is a “Publish your Thoughts button”. Elly elly elly… Guys like me need a “publish your absolutely Pointless and anoying rantings” button. Gosh get with it.

By: Alden

Alden — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 18:25:48 +0000

Not that I want to disillusion anyone (but more just to show that I read Elliot’s blogs occasionally), from over 20 years of life in the corporate world (and having spent time at 3 different universities before that), let me just say that it doesn’t really get any better.

The problem with systems is first, people. As long as people put them together (and usually not by the people who need to use the system), systems will be flawed, sometimes redundant, obsolete and often superfluous.

If, by chance, you find a system that actually works well, the 2nd law of thermodynamics kicks in (the one that says that “everything falls apart”), and it’s only a matter of time before it too is obsolete, redundant and/or superfluous.

Which brings us to the lesson of The Matrix: The system is based on rules. Some rules can be bent; others can be broken.

That is what college is all about.

The other lesson, which Elliot has already learned, is that every frustrating or painful situation is a topic for a good blog post.

By: Kala

Kala — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 23:51:35 +0000

Seasoned pro here. *pats self on back, then falls on face* The testing system isn’t the only thing that’s screwed up. While many are drawn to the price and location of aforementioned school (hey, I’m not complaining), some of the textbooks, buildings and parking lots could use an update as well.

By: Brianna

Brianna — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 22:17:16 +0000

That scares me, seeing I have to take that Friday. Heh. That system is so messed up.