I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time now.  A little sumpin’ sumpin’  that gets under my skin.  Another fine example of a lousy user interface experience.  Also known as ” L.U.I.E “  (pronounced ‘Louie’).

I like the convenience of Verizon’s web based texting service.  It’s just plain quicker for me to type from my keyboard than on my phone, especially when I’m sitting at work on my PC.   Sometimes I have more to say than my clumbsy thumb feels like tapping out on a tiny phone keypad.

Introducing the Verizon “text message security code verification box”!  Let the trumpets sound! We’ve all seen and used these at some point.  Yes, even on blogs.  Peck in the alph numeric code like chickens eating feed to prove we’re humans and wah-la, the message is on its merry cyber way.  Why do we have to jump through these hoops?  To keep spambots out of your cell phone inbox.  See an example below from Verizon’s website…

This should be simple enough, right?

WRONG!  Evidently that is a capital “I”.  ( I <– this is what the capital letter should look like with the upper and lower horizontal whozits protruding over the vertical whatzit. Whatever font Verizon is using makes it non-distinguishable between a lower case “l”).  This is the equivalent of unisex alphabet.  Or letters that have not gone through puberty yet.  Alas, I have failed the human being test and  I let out a goat-like utterance.  Next I get to enter a new code!  Of course this same ambiguity appears with the letters ‘X’, ‘S’, ‘C’ ‘Z’, et-frigging-cetera.  Numbers are the only safe bet here.  But Wait!  Is that a zero or a lower case  ‘o’?  ‘Nuff said.  You get my point.

And what’s up with those wonky horagonal lines?  Are they supposed to make me distinguish between both capital and lower case letters?  They don’t. They get in the way and make me feel like I’m in some carnival fun house or my chair’s missing a caster .   You can do better than this Verizon.  Really.

This topic is now open for discussion.  Thoughts?