12 ms·

The User Is Drunk

448 points by richardlitt 12y ago

jabo 12y ago
Wonder if the author dog-fooded his concept, that would provide some real life use cases to serve as reference.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  I did. Wasn't an ideal real life case, though.
ffn 12y ago
lol love this idea... but my target audience is teenage Asian girls who like anime. If OP's current thing is successful, will you be willing to do a theuserisajapaneseschoolgirl.com ?
- richardlitt 12y ago
  Ugh... I'm not sure I'm qualified. ごめね！
- timv 12y ago
  my target audience is teenage Asian girls who like anime I knew quite a few guys at uni shooting for that same target...
- acewolk 12y ago
  I know this is probably a joke but if it's not, what on earth is the site?
deleted 12y ago
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deleted 12y ago
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- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- daeken 12y ago
  While I agree that alcoholism is sad, this is a non sequitur. Unless you have knowledge about the founder of this service that isn't posted on the site, neither of us know that he is or is not an alcoholic. Plenty of people get drunk without being dependent on alcohol in any way, and it does not help those suffering from alcoholism to ignore that.
  - richardlitt 12y ago
    Thank you. I am proud to say I am in no way an alcoholic. I added a note about AA.org to the site.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  I completely agree. Moderation.
  - wavefunction 12y ago
    In all things, including moderation.
    - johnlbevan2 12y ago
      You need at least 10,000 reputation points before you need to worry about that.
- GunlogAlm 12y ago
  Do you know he's an alcoholic? Not everyone who drinks, even heavily, is necessarily alcohol dependent.
  - jacob019 12y ago
    What happens when the business takes off?
lips 12y ago
PEBCAB could be an issue.
- johnlbevan2 12y ago
  Problem exists between chair and beer?
  - lips 12y ago
    Ah, my people.
ccvannorman 12y ago
well, i threw my $50 in. looking forwards to the results! (mathbreakers.com)
- richardlitt 12y ago
  Thanks!
  - throwaway8654 12y ago
    Hi Richard. Please add paypal payment and I'm in. Thanks.
    - richardlitt 12y ago
      Send me an email and I'll respond with an email that you can send money to. Not interested in adding paypal to the site at the moment, trying to keep this minimal.
- ricogallo 12y ago
  I'm almost drunk right now, and I guarantee that I just can't see what's the point of your service
- geofft 12y ago
  I clicked on the most obvious button, "Teachers click here", and then the most obvious button on that page, "Start Lobby Now", and got a "Page not found". To be fair, I'm completely sober and you haven't paid me $50, so maybe that's why it didn't work.
  - ccvannorman 12y ago
    LOL Actually just a slight error with the last git push, it's fixed now. Thanks for the (free) heads up
- kincardine 12y ago
  If you have a window that is narrower than ~960px the window that says "Enter a realm where math is your superpower!" overlaps the image below it. I'm not sure if this bothers you, but I thought I'd let you know.
fireworks10 12y ago
"The User is Drunk" is explained better in video by Will Dayble of Squareweave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2CbbBLVaPk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2CbbBLVaPk Also, OP's post seems more like "The UX Consultant is Drunk".
- richardlitt 12y ago
  Thanks for the link. And you're right.
- cheepin 12y ago
  And the discussion of that video: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7655281 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7655281
D_Alex 12y ago
Well, it is a curious idea, and a very peculiar niche for a business! But... "Your website should be so simple, a drunk person could use it" is kind of arguable. For some sites (eg. hacker news...?) the desirable outcome is that a drunk person should probably not use it. Still, I suppose the tester can test for that as well.
stevebmark 12y ago
AKGs are decent headphones. Those look like 701s maybe? Or the discontinued 272? They're comfortable at least.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  271s, iirc. Lost them a couple of months ago, sadly.
  - stevebmark 12y ago
    oh, good! the k2xx series is really bad. I had k272s. they're overpriced with really disappointing frequency rolloff http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2901&graphID[]=3281&scale=30 http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&gra... also poor build quality / really plasticy / no detachable cable
sharkweek 12y ago
Love it - How about this as an alternative: The user is stuck in a very (corporate/government/sluggish) environment. I will review your site/app from a major bank's / federal government's offices and report back! Or maybe this: The user is a 65 year old dad whose son doesn't come around often enough to ensure his father hasn't installed countless malware that he blames "internet" on. I will go to my dad's house and use his computer to browse your site/app and report back! This list really should get longer, HN, I turn to you.
- joslin01 12y ago
  The user is not there - I will review your website as if I had never seen it before and don't intend to
  - joshrotenberg 12y ago
    Similar to "The User is Drunk ... with friends, at a bar, not at home on the couch alone on the internet."
- jabo 12y ago
  How about, user is using a screen reader or some other accessibility aid.
  - bashinator 12y ago
    Can you make it more hilarious?
    - TeMPOraL 12y ago
      Twitch Plays Navigate This Website Via A Screen Reader?
      - chippy 12y ago
        There was a Twitch Plays Internet Explorer once....
practicalpants 12y ago
I'm assuming this is just attention grabbing for this guy's personal brand. Always interesting to see what kind of marketing stunts get you to the front page. If this were to be taken seriously, a guy regularly getting drunk is just sad, as alcoholism is a real problem that this seems to be brushing aside.
- hueving 12y ago
  Your last sentence/paragraph comes from a pretty myopic perspective. Some people enjoy getting drunk occasionally. It's like saying "getting high is just sad", "running marathons is just sad" or "eating high fat foods is just sad". They are all sacrificing something for a high.
  - practicalpants 12y ago
    Which is why I said "getting drunk regularly," which is the implied activity in a business built around a guy getting drunk. Either way, amusing to see someone compare getting drunk to running a marathon.
    - kelnos 12y ago
      Define "regularly". I get drunk fairly regularly (1-3 times a week), and I'm pretty happy with that for of fun, as well as the sober kind.
      - Rapzid 12y ago
        Same, I probably drink too drink to much and, yeah, have a drinking "problem". But I have fun, drink great craft beer, and never have an urge to get loaded before work(or instead of). It's all after-hours downtime fun(self medication?) for me. I also do a lot of sober activities, including sports so... IDK. I'm a well-rounded drunk?
      - jakobegger 12y ago
        I used to get drunk once or twice a week, and I thought it was completely normal ("all of my friends do that too"). Looking back, I now know I had an alcohol problem. It affected my work (couldn't concentrate) and it affected my health (gained weight). I'm still young, so I hope there are no permanent effects from my drinking.
richardlitt 12y ago
I added a note about alcoholism. It is very serious. Please check out AA if you or anyone you know relies on alcohol. aa.org.
- Retra 12y ago
  AA has a bit of a reputation for spending more effort trying to get you to see God than to stop drinking.
  - richardlitt 12y ago
    I highly suggest Dharma Punx if you're in California. Have some friends who have gotten a lot out of it.
solve 12y ago
Been using this exact UX testing approach for years. Has served me well, no joke.
BadassFractal 12y ago
I think there's also an opportunity here to crowdsource UX testing to our moms. They're the ultimate litmus test when it comes to being able to use technology.
- Theodores 12y ago
  This!!! I call it the 'mum test'. My mum cannot use computers at all yet somehow she can buy stuff online. My mum can't read that light grey text on a grey background in spider.ttf 10px!!! My mum can't work that stupid menu you have. My mum also has a 1366 x 768 'netbook' from a bygone era. The screen has a viewing angle designed for goldfish. Her broadband is rural flavoured. My mum is also a bit of a snob. Any graphic chintz will be frowned on and ignored. My mum is entirely product and UX focused (in her own special way). If she can buy from your site and get items delivered then you have passed my 'my mum' test. Seriously though, the test on a regular 1366x768 Windows/Chrome OS laptop with high-glare screen, lame CPU, lame memory/disk is not something done early enough in most projects. Many, many people have such computers, not everyone has Apple/Android.
- deleted 12y ago
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- mattl 12y ago
  how about instead of 'mom' we use 'inexperienced user', and don't make a bad assumption?
  - BadassFractal 12y ago
    It's not a bad assumption, you've never tried to explain how to use the iPad to my mom.
bbarn 12y ago
Why not just post as show HN? If there's a nit, it'll be picked.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  I don't hang out on HN much. Can I post to show HN?
  - anon012012 12y ago
    Typically you prefix "Show HN:" in the title, if showing your own product. Maybe because this is a place for news, primarily, and so it's not humble to link your own product as a news, but you can ask for community feedback with the prefix.
nickysielicki 12y ago
I just wanna give you props for how good this site looks on a vertical monitor. Full screen background images generally tend to break HARD, and sites are always either going into mobile mode or look ugly as hell. This looks like it was made for my monitor, though. http://i.imgur.com/DZBvync.jpg http://i.imgur.com/DZBvync.jpg
- richardlitt 12y ago
  Thank you!
- wz1000 12y ago
  Is that i3 and surf?
  - nickysielicki 12y ago
    i3wm and vimb https://fanglingsu.github.io/vimb/ https://fanglingsu.github.io/vimb/
20kleagues 12y ago
Instead of testing it myself, I will go to the clubbing district of Hong Kong, and pay drunk users to test your website. You can tell me how many users you want to test. Starts at 3USD/user. P.S.: This way I stay away from alcoholism, too.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  If you're going to be in Hong Kong this weekend, ping me. I'll be around. :)
Zak 12y ago
If you're concerned about your drinking habits, you should probably not check out aa.org. There is little solid evidence that AA is a particularly effective treatment for alcoholism. Various types of therapy with real trained and certified therapists have good success rates backed by actual scientific evidence, as do certain prescription drugs. Combining them likely has an even better success rate. Talk to your doctor. http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/10/26/alcoholics-anonymous-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/10/26/alcoholics-anonymous-mu...
- richardlitt 12y ago
  Thanks. Noted, and updated.
- bcook 12y ago
  I never could really commit to AA, the organization, but... I met some great people there. I ended up in AA, thinking my life was over, but when I heard what other people had been through (awful awful things), I was very humbled. The people and their shared experiences helped me gain perspective. Although I mostly solved the drinking problem myself, outside of AA, AA still helped me. I compare it to attending Church. I am not a fan of organized religion, nor am I religious, but I have met some great people there.
- Devthrowaway80 12y ago
  Definitely talk to your doctor. It's not true to claim that there is no solid evidence suggesting that AA is not effective. There is a lot of shitty evidence both supporting and discrediting 12 step programs, and the author of the linked article has found plenty of shitty science to wave his hand at. Look through the dates of the studies referenced - 1967, 1981, 1985, 1996. The most recent paper there is almost 20 years old, with the exception of Project MATCH (2006), which the author appears to have not read very closely. The Project MATCH paper which the author above dismisses as "showing everyone does the same with or without AA" actually shows that "12-step treatment had more than double the number of patients who were continuously abstinent at one year after treatment and about one third more at three years after treatment." That does not strike me as being "the same". The latter interpretation of the results comes from Harvard Medical School professors, the former from some random anonymous dick on the internet. An article on the topic from the aforementioned Harvard Medical School professors (who are addressing a particularly well known "debunker" of AA, who also coincidentally has his own method he is trying to sell) can be read here - http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/04/defense-12-step-addiction http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/04/defense-12-step-addicti.... It references many recent, randomized, controlled studies that directly contradict the assertion that AA has no effect. My own personal experience is that AA, when stripped down, is very strongly reminiscent of CBT (which I have also been on the receiving end of), mixed in with a strong social support network. I also have seen that AA in practice varies wildly from place to place, so my own experience is likely not the same one that you'd have in the Bible Belt or elsewhere. If you're struggling, by all means check out a meeting AND talk to your doctor. If you hate AA, don't go anymore. I tried and failed repeatedly to get sober on my own and with medical treatment for about 8 years, from 26 to 34. Since I have started going to AA, I have been sober for the longest period of time since I was legal to drink (19). If I had read that smug, halfassed article you posted, I probably wouldn't have gone, and I probably would be either drunk or quite possibly dead, given my intake and behaviour. Addiction is no joke. If you don't know what you're talking about, keep your ignorance to yourself.
nmb 12y ago
haven't seen the similar Three Sheets Research mentioned yet: http://threesheetsresearch.com/ http://threesheetsresearch.com/
LeonRobrotsky 12y ago
I've been very thankful that I couldn't navigate some websites drunk in the past.
meesterdude 12y ago
hey! thats crazy that matt took the photo - i work with him.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  +1 for matt
amagumori 12y ago
> Is this your only job? No. I have a full-time job changing the world. dude, you do frontend development for a social network. how self-aggrandizing can you be. just say you work for a social network ffs.
- dudus 12y ago
  Social Networks changed the world. Building one, even a small part can be rewarding. Maybe not everyone in the same position will feel the same way, but you should definitively not criticize him if he does. Good for you, I also believe I'm changing the world, and I'm not here building rockets or anything like that.
  - themoonbus 12y ago
    I mean, by that broad definition, everyone is changing the world, it goes along with being a sentient being that exists in the world. Although I can't tell if his "changing the world" comment was tongue-in-cheek or not, the tech industry does have a problem with self-importance... or at least, that's the broad perception of the industry, to the point that it gets parodied in media (see: HBO's Silicon Valley).
  - amagumori 12y ago
    i just feel that saying "i'm changing the world" is a bit of an arrogant thing to say about yourself. but i was wrong about what he did for a living.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  Where'd you read that? I should update it. That's not my current job. I'm working on building a tool to help scientists share their insights.
  - amagumori 12y ago
    oh, i went on your website and thought ideapod was your full-time job. sorry. well, that could be a legitimate changing the world thing, your wording just read as arrogant to me. eating humble pie now
jmtame 12y ago
hacker news is now singlehandedly responsible for this guy being completely wasted for the next month. well done, everyone.
- ccvannorman 12y ago
  the system works!
benatkin 12y ago
This is actually kind of funny IMO. Definitely don't try this at home, especially if you're worried about your liver. Some people who ought to be worried about their liver aren't. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/9602154/Middle-aged-drinkers-unwittingly-risking-their-health.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/9602154/Middle-a...
bitwize 12y ago
This is why it's immensely sad that Unix "won". Unix's developers just didn't grok usability. At all. As a result, Unix is very sensitive to even small mistakes. It's like the OS was not intended to be operated by humans, with faulty memories and clumsy fingers. VMS, on the other hand, was much more tolerant of drunk users, or just tired sysadmins who haven't had enough coffee. These considerations were baked in from the start, resulting in a far more robust command line environment.
mytochar 12y ago
The comments are suggesting that this is niche. I don't think it's niche at all. On products I've worked on, I've frequently declared that all usability testing should be done when you're exhausted and grumpy. You don't tolerate * pointless process, * extraneous fields, * improperly labeled things, * poor ordering, * sloppy UX flow, * excessively accurate controls, * super-tiny buttons, * things when you're like that. In a similar way, when you're drunk, you can't /do/ process like that. I think it's a lovely idea and more systems should be designed with that in mind. Drunk, I might be able to operate a computer as well as my grandmother; so, if it can support me drunk, it can support my grandmother.
- reilly3000 12y ago
  Its also not niche because a lot of people compute and buy shit impulsively when drunk. So I hear...
- astolarz 12y ago
  > * super-tiny buttons, He includes a link to his website, which has a very tiny and fairly condense header bar but plenty of white space. Perhaps he should hire himself?
  - edem 12y ago
    Plus it works with 6 colors.
- pedrorijo91 12y ago
  Don't think that this idea is that useful. It seems like more a awareness to the crazy toughs on the users mind. The videos should be fun, but let's face it, we gotta design for our users, not for drunk users that would/"should" represent the worst users we could get
glifchits 12y ago
This is an awesome idea. The example I'm most passionate about of web design I hate is an online pizza ordering site, because when I was intoxicated it was super confusing to just order a pizza.
Naushad 12y ago
"I'll get very drunk, and then review your website. I'll send you a document outlining where I thought the website needed help" When you are drunk, would you be actually in the state of mind where you can document the issues ? Even if you record your observations, will you remember the thought process that was happening in your mind while you did the review? Which is the most critical part of Usability Review. Assuming the core idea is to test when an intoxicated person has effects like problem with muscle co-ordination and lack in decision making... Probably a nice marketing trick...
- richardlitt 12y ago
  Let's find out! I doubt I'll remember the thought process.
johnchristopher 12y ago
I like that concept :). I also like your `easy on the eye` site. I peeked at the code and found this little tiny typo: <meta property="og:url"content="http://theuserisdrunk.com/" /> A space is missing between url" and content.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  Thanks! Fixed.
munchhausen 12y ago
Were you drunk when you created this?
facepalm 12y ago
Interesting idea, but I think he should ask for at least 10 times what he does, given that he poisons himself for the job.
mrsirduke 12y ago
The price seem to be going up at some rate. It was $75 earlier, and now it's $80.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  Just trying to limit customers. I don't want to have to get drunk, if I can help it - here and there is better.
edem 12y ago
Maybe you can get drunk with Baby Boomers and let them test the website. Hilarious idea though! I think I will try it out soon.
cel1ne 12y ago
http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/42026/could-user-tests-with-impaired-drugged-tired-people-lead-to-better-interface http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/42026/could-user-tests...
dedif 12y ago
Not a new idea. I used to follow: http://threesheetsresearch.com/ http://threesheetsresearch.com/ Unfortunately their last review dates from 2012 (ThreeSheets, if you hear me .. please come back !) E.g., Check this hilarious Microsoft Surface drunk review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cMVKW-fR1M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cMVKW-fR1M
smoyer 12y ago
This would be safer with a set of alcohol impairment googles ... you can at least simulate the blurry vision part of the experience - http://www.lifeloc.com/goggles.aspx http://www.lifeloc.com/goggles.aspx
akshaykarle 12y ago
Getting paid to be drunk. Kudos to the idea!
userium 12y ago
Hilarious. :) In case you want to catch common usability problems on your site, before he tests it, use https://userium.com/ https://userium.com/
farresito 12y ago
Well, that's what I have experienced for the past four years. I've been suffering from extreme brain fog due to very high copper and mercury levels which I'm getting detoxed, and that's more or less what I'm going through. It will be quite interesting to hear his thoughts.
bpg_92 12y ago
The user is left handed. As if there weren't enough left handed products websites should be too. Login/logout on the right side? Talk about equality. (It is a joke)
- shultays 12y ago
  It is decided, all menus should be on the center!
cust_support 12y ago
Millennials: doing whatever it takes to get your attention since 1982.
jrk_ 12y ago
I'll do the screencast for the beer only. :)
dilipray 12y ago
Rajesh Koothrappali can do it with better with Non-Alcoholic Beer. https://youtu.be/aHtSD4oU2Ro?t=26s https://youtu.be/aHtSD4oU2Ro?t=26s Kidding.
Raphmedia 12y ago
Well, time for "theuserisonacid.com".
bunkydoo 12y ago
So what prevents me from saving $150 and getting some homeless guy at the shelter to do this same shit for the price of a bottle?
- DanHulton 12y ago
  Well, the homeless guy probably isn't a trained UX guy, for one, so you're not getting the same value. And you're probably enabling the substance abuse problem of a person in real trouble, so I mean there's an added moral weight here.
- lhc- 12y ago
  The homeless guy probably doesn't know anything about UX, whereas this guy lists himself as a UX expert
deleted 12y ago
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mathattack 12y ago
Seems like a fantastic way to get someone to pass the bill on their drinking. Who knows if this will help any of their customers?
fataliss 12y ago
I like how I could't get anything out of this guy's personal website while drunk. Start to get your own stuff together before selling advices for other.
deleted 12y ago
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mjgold 12y ago
Not surprisingly, TheUserIsHigh.com was registered today...
makemoves 12y ago
Love it! Here is the follow up? oneloveux.com Get your project reviewd buy stoned developers and creatives

The User Is Drunk

448 points by richardlitt 12y ago

jabo 12y ago

Wonder if the author dog-fooded his concept, that would provide some real life use cases to serve as reference.

richardlitt 12y ago
I did. Wasn't an ideal real life case, though.

ffn 12y ago

lol love this idea... but my target audience is teenage Asian girls who like anime. If OP's current thing is successful, will you be willing to do a theuserisajapaneseschoolgirl.com ?

richardlitt 12y ago
Ugh... I'm not sure I'm qualified. ごめね！
timv 12y ago
my target audience is teenage Asian girls who like anime I knew quite a few guys at uni shooting for that same target...
acewolk 12y ago
I know this is probably a joke but if it's not, what on earth is the site?

deleted 12y ago

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daeken 12y ago
While I agree that alcoholism is sad, this is a non sequitur. Unless you have knowledge about the founder of this service that isn't posted on the site, neither of us know that he is or is not an alcoholic. Plenty of people get drunk without being dependent on alcohol in any way, and it does not help those suffering from alcoholism to ignore that.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  Thank you. I am proud to say I am in no way an alcoholic. I added a note about AA.org to the site.
richardlitt 12y ago
I completely agree. Moderation.
- wavefunction 12y ago
  In all things, including moderation.
  - johnlbevan2 12y ago
    You need at least 10,000 reputation points before you need to worry about that.
GunlogAlm 12y ago
Do you know he's an alcoholic? Not everyone who drinks, even heavily, is necessarily alcohol dependent.
- jacob019 12y ago
  What happens when the business takes off?

lips 12y ago

PEBCAB could be an issue.

johnlbevan2 12y ago
Problem exists between chair and beer?
- lips 12y ago
  Ah, my people.

ccvannorman 12y ago

well, i threw my $50 in. looking forwards to the results! (mathbreakers.com)

richardlitt 12y ago
Thanks!
- throwaway8654 12y ago
  Hi Richard. Please add paypal payment and I'm in. Thanks.
  - richardlitt 12y ago
    Send me an email and I'll respond with an email that you can send money to. Not interested in adding paypal to the site at the moment, trying to keep this minimal.
ricogallo 12y ago
I'm almost drunk right now, and I guarantee that I just can't see what's the point of your service
geofft 12y ago
I clicked on the most obvious button, "Teachers click here", and then the most obvious button on that page, "Start Lobby Now", and got a "Page not found". To be fair, I'm completely sober and you haven't paid me $50, so maybe that's why it didn't work.
- ccvannorman 12y ago
  LOL Actually just a slight error with the last git push, it's fixed now. Thanks for the (free) heads up
kincardine 12y ago
If you have a window that is narrower than ~960px the window that says "Enter a realm where math is your superpower!" overlaps the image below it. I'm not sure if this bothers you, but I thought I'd let you know.

fireworks10 12y ago

"The User is Drunk" is explained better in video by Will Dayble of Squareweave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2CbbBLVaPk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2CbbBLVaPk Also, OP's post seems more like "The UX Consultant is Drunk".

richardlitt 12y ago
Thanks for the link. And you're right.
cheepin 12y ago
And the discussion of that video: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7655281 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7655281

D_Alex 12y ago

Well, it is a curious idea, and a very peculiar niche for a business! But... "Your website should be so simple, a drunk person could use it" is kind of arguable. For some sites (eg. hacker news...?) the desirable outcome is that a drunk person should probably not use it. Still, I suppose the tester can test for that as well.

stevebmark 12y ago

AKGs are decent headphones. Those look like 701s maybe? Or the discontinued 272? They're comfortable at least.

richardlitt 12y ago
271s, iirc. Lost them a couple of months ago, sadly.
- stevebmark 12y ago
  oh, good! the k2xx series is really bad. I had k272s. they're overpriced with really disappointing frequency rolloff http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2901&graphID[]=3281&scale=30 http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&gra... also poor build quality / really plasticy / no detachable cable

sharkweek 12y ago

Love it - How about this as an alternative: The user is stuck in a very (corporate/government/sluggish) environment. I will review your site/app from a major bank's / federal government's offices and report back! Or maybe this: The user is a 65 year old dad whose son doesn't come around often enough to ensure his father hasn't installed countless malware that he blames "internet" on. I will go to my dad's house and use his computer to browse your site/app and report back! This list really should get longer, HN, I turn to you.

joslin01 12y ago
The user is not there - I will review your website as if I had never seen it before and don't intend to
- joshrotenberg 12y ago
  Similar to "The User is Drunk ... with friends, at a bar, not at home on the couch alone on the internet."
jabo 12y ago
How about, user is using a screen reader or some other accessibility aid.
- bashinator 12y ago
  Can you make it more hilarious?
  - TeMPOraL 12y ago
    Twitch Plays Navigate This Website Via A Screen Reader?
    - chippy 12y ago
      There was a Twitch Plays Internet Explorer once....

practicalpants 12y ago

I'm assuming this is just attention grabbing for this guy's personal brand. Always interesting to see what kind of marketing stunts get you to the front page. If this were to be taken seriously, a guy regularly getting drunk is just sad, as alcoholism is a real problem that this seems to be brushing aside.

hueving 12y ago
Your last sentence/paragraph comes from a pretty myopic perspective. Some people enjoy getting drunk occasionally. It's like saying "getting high is just sad", "running marathons is just sad" or "eating high fat foods is just sad". They are all sacrificing something for a high.
- practicalpants 12y ago
  Which is why I said "getting drunk regularly," which is the implied activity in a business built around a guy getting drunk. Either way, amusing to see someone compare getting drunk to running a marathon.
  - kelnos 12y ago
    Define "regularly". I get drunk fairly regularly (1-3 times a week), and I'm pretty happy with that for of fun, as well as the sober kind.
    - Rapzid 12y ago
      Same, I probably drink too drink to much and, yeah, have a drinking "problem". But I have fun, drink great craft beer, and never have an urge to get loaded before work(or instead of). It's all after-hours downtime fun(self medication?) for me. I also do a lot of sober activities, including sports so... IDK. I'm a well-rounded drunk?
    - jakobegger 12y ago
      I used to get drunk once or twice a week, and I thought it was completely normal ("all of my friends do that too"). Looking back, I now know I had an alcohol problem. It affected my work (couldn't concentrate) and it affected my health (gained weight). I'm still young, so I hope there are no permanent effects from my drinking.

richardlitt 12y ago

I added a note about alcoholism. It is very serious. Please check out AA if you or anyone you know relies on alcohol. aa.org.

Retra 12y ago
AA has a bit of a reputation for spending more effort trying to get you to see God than to stop drinking.
- richardlitt 12y ago
  I highly suggest Dharma Punx if you're in California. Have some friends who have gotten a lot out of it.

solve 12y ago

Been using this exact UX testing approach for years. Has served me well, no joke.

BadassFractal 12y ago

I think there's also an opportunity here to crowdsource UX testing to our moms. They're the ultimate litmus test when it comes to being able to use technology.

Theodores 12y ago
This!!! I call it the 'mum test'. My mum cannot use computers at all yet somehow she can buy stuff online. My mum can't read that light grey text on a grey background in spider.ttf 10px!!! My mum can't work that stupid menu you have. My mum also has a 1366 x 768 'netbook' from a bygone era. The screen has a viewing angle designed for goldfish. Her broadband is rural flavoured. My mum is also a bit of a snob. Any graphic chintz will be frowned on and ignored. My mum is entirely product and UX focused (in her own special way). If she can buy from your site and get items delivered then you have passed my 'my mum' test. Seriously though, the test on a regular 1366x768 Windows/Chrome OS laptop with high-glare screen, lame CPU, lame memory/disk is not something done early enough in most projects. Many, many people have such computers, not everyone has Apple/Android.
deleted 12y ago
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mattl 12y ago
how about instead of 'mom' we use 'inexperienced user', and don't make a bad assumption?
- BadassFractal 12y ago
  It's not a bad assumption, you've never tried to explain how to use the iPad to my mom.

bbarn 12y ago

Why not just post as show HN? If there's a nit, it'll be picked.

richardlitt 12y ago
I don't hang out on HN much. Can I post to show HN?
- anon012012 12y ago
  Typically you prefix "Show HN:" in the title, if showing your own product. Maybe because this is a place for news, primarily, and so it's not humble to link your own product as a news, but you can ask for community feedback with the prefix.

nickysielicki 12y ago

I just wanna give you props for how good this site looks on a vertical monitor. Full screen background images generally tend to break HARD, and sites are always either going into mobile mode or look ugly as hell. This looks like it was made for my monitor, though. http://i.imgur.com/DZBvync.jpg http://i.imgur.com/DZBvync.jpg

richardlitt 12y ago
Thank you!
wz1000 12y ago
Is that i3 and surf?
- nickysielicki 12y ago
  i3wm and vimb https://fanglingsu.github.io/vimb/ https://fanglingsu.github.io/vimb/

20kleagues 12y ago

Instead of testing it myself, I will go to the clubbing district of Hong Kong, and pay drunk users to test your website. You can tell me how many users you want to test. Starts at 3USD/user. P.S.: This way I stay away from alcoholism, too.

richardlitt 12y ago
If you're going to be in Hong Kong this weekend, ping me. I'll be around. :)

Zak 12y ago

If you're concerned about your drinking habits, you should probably not check out aa.org. There is little solid evidence that AA is a particularly effective treatment for alcoholism. Various types of therapy with real trained and certified therapists have good success rates backed by actual scientific evidence, as do certain prescription drugs. Combining them likely has an even better success rate. Talk to your doctor. http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/10/26/alcoholics-anonymous-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/10/26/alcoholics-anonymous-mu...

richardlitt 12y ago
Thanks. Noted, and updated.
bcook 12y ago
I never could really commit to AA, the organization, but... I met some great people there. I ended up in AA, thinking my life was over, but when I heard what other people had been through (awful awful things), I was very humbled. The people and their shared experiences helped me gain perspective. Although I mostly solved the drinking problem myself, outside of AA, AA still helped me. I compare it to attending Church. I am not a fan of organized religion, nor am I religious, but I have met some great people there.
Devthrowaway80 12y ago
Definitely talk to your doctor. It's not true to claim that there is no solid evidence suggesting that AA is not effective. There is a lot of shitty evidence both supporting and discrediting 12 step programs, and the author of the linked article has found plenty of shitty science to wave his hand at. Look through the dates of the studies referenced - 1967, 1981, 1985, 1996. The most recent paper there is almost 20 years old, with the exception of Project MATCH (2006), which the author appears to have not read very closely. The Project MATCH paper which the author above dismisses as "showing everyone does the same with or without AA" actually shows that "12-step treatment had more than double the number of patients who were continuously abstinent at one year after treatment and about one third more at three years after treatment." That does not strike me as being "the same". The latter interpretation of the results comes from Harvard Medical School professors, the former from some random anonymous dick on the internet. An article on the topic from the aforementioned Harvard Medical School professors (who are addressing a particularly well known "debunker" of AA, who also coincidentally has his own method he is trying to sell) can be read here - http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/04/defense-12-step-addiction http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/04/defense-12-step-addicti.... It references many recent, randomized, controlled studies that directly contradict the assertion that AA has no effect. My own personal experience is that AA, when stripped down, is very strongly reminiscent of CBT (which I have also been on the receiving end of), mixed in with a strong social support network. I also have seen that AA in practice varies wildly from place to place, so my own experience is likely not the same one that you'd have in the Bible Belt or elsewhere. If you're struggling, by all means check out a meeting AND talk to your doctor. If you hate AA, don't go anymore. I tried and failed repeatedly to get sober on my own and with medical treatment for about 8 years, from 26 to 34. Since I have started going to AA, I have been sober for the longest period of time since I was legal to drink (19). If I had read that smug, halfassed article you posted, I probably wouldn't have gone, and I probably would be either drunk or quite possibly dead, given my intake and behaviour. Addiction is no joke. If you don't know what you're talking about, keep your ignorance to yourself.

nmb 12y ago

haven't seen the similar Three Sheets Research mentioned yet: http://threesheetsresearch.com/ http://threesheetsresearch.com/

LeonRobrotsky 12y ago

I've been very thankful that I couldn't navigate some websites drunk in the past.

meesterdude 12y ago

hey! thats crazy that matt took the photo - i work with him.

richardlitt 12y ago
+1 for matt

amagumori 12y ago

> Is this your only job? No. I have a full-time job changing the world. dude, you do frontend development for a social network. how self-aggrandizing can you be. just say you work for a social network ffs.

dudus 12y ago
Social Networks changed the world. Building one, even a small part can be rewarding. Maybe not everyone in the same position will feel the same way, but you should definitively not criticize him if he does. Good for you, I also believe I'm changing the world, and I'm not here building rockets or anything like that.
- themoonbus 12y ago
  I mean, by that broad definition, everyone is changing the world, it goes along with being a sentient being that exists in the world. Although I can't tell if his "changing the world" comment was tongue-in-cheek or not, the tech industry does have a problem with self-importance... or at least, that's the broad perception of the industry, to the point that it gets parodied in media (see: HBO's Silicon Valley).
- amagumori 12y ago
  i just feel that saying "i'm changing the world" is a bit of an arrogant thing to say about yourself. but i was wrong about what he did for a living.
richardlitt 12y ago
Where'd you read that? I should update it. That's not my current job. I'm working on building a tool to help scientists share their insights.
- amagumori 12y ago
  oh, i went on your website and thought ideapod was your full-time job. sorry. well, that could be a legitimate changing the world thing, your wording just read as arrogant to me. eating humble pie now

jmtame 12y ago

hacker news is now singlehandedly responsible for this guy being completely wasted for the next month. well done, everyone.

ccvannorman 12y ago
the system works!

benatkin 12y ago

This is actually kind of funny IMO. Definitely don't try this at home, especially if you're worried about your liver. Some people who ought to be worried about their liver aren't. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/9602154/Middle-aged-drinkers-unwittingly-risking-their-health.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/9602154/Middle-a...

bitwize 12y ago

This is why it's immensely sad that Unix "won". Unix's developers just didn't grok usability. At all. As a result, Unix is very sensitive to even small mistakes. It's like the OS was not intended to be operated by humans, with faulty memories and clumsy fingers. VMS, on the other hand, was much more tolerant of drunk users, or just tired sysadmins who haven't had enough coffee. These considerations were baked in from the start, resulting in a far more robust command line environment.

mytochar 12y ago

The comments are suggesting that this is niche. I don't think it's niche at all. On products I've worked on, I've frequently declared that all usability testing should be done when you're exhausted and grumpy. You don't tolerate * pointless process, * extraneous fields, * improperly labeled things, * poor ordering, * sloppy UX flow, * excessively accurate controls, * super-tiny buttons, * things when you're like that. In a similar way, when you're drunk, you can't /do/ process like that. I think it's a lovely idea and more systems should be designed with that in mind. Drunk, I might be able to operate a computer as well as my grandmother; so, if it can support me drunk, it can support my grandmother.

reilly3000 12y ago
Its also not niche because a lot of people compute and buy shit impulsively when drunk. So I hear...
astolarz 12y ago
> * super-tiny buttons, He includes a link to his website, which has a very tiny and fairly condense header bar but plenty of white space. Perhaps he should hire himself?
- edem 12y ago
  Plus it works with 6 colors.
pedrorijo91 12y ago
Don't think that this idea is that useful. It seems like more a awareness to the crazy toughs on the users mind. The videos should be fun, but let's face it, we gotta design for our users, not for drunk users that would/"should" represent the worst users we could get

glifchits 12y ago

This is an awesome idea. The example I'm most passionate about of web design I hate is an online pizza ordering site, because when I was intoxicated it was super confusing to just order a pizza.

Naushad 12y ago

"I'll get very drunk, and then review your website. I'll send you a document outlining where I thought the website needed help" When you are drunk, would you be actually in the state of mind where you can document the issues ? Even if you record your observations, will you remember the thought process that was happening in your mind while you did the review? Which is the most critical part of Usability Review. Assuming the core idea is to test when an intoxicated person has effects like problem with muscle co-ordination and lack in decision making... Probably a nice marketing trick...

richardlitt 12y ago
Let's find out! I doubt I'll remember the thought process.

johnchristopher 12y ago

I like that concept :). I also like your `easy on the eye` site. I peeked at the code and found this little tiny typo: <meta property="og:url"content="http://theuserisdrunk.com/" /> A space is missing between url" and content.

richardlitt 12y ago
Thanks! Fixed.

munchhausen 12y ago

Were you drunk when you created this?

facepalm 12y ago

Interesting idea, but I think he should ask for at least 10 times what he does, given that he poisons himself for the job.

mrsirduke 12y ago

The price seem to be going up at some rate. It was $75 earlier, and now it's $80.

richardlitt 12y ago
Just trying to limit customers. I don't want to have to get drunk, if I can help it - here and there is better.

edem 12y ago

Maybe you can get drunk with Baby Boomers and let them test the website. Hilarious idea though! I think I will try it out soon.

cel1ne 12y ago

http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/42026/could-user-tests-with-impaired-drugged-tired-people-lead-to-better-interface http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/42026/could-user-tests...

dedif 12y ago

Not a new idea. I used to follow: http://threesheetsresearch.com/ http://threesheetsresearch.com/ Unfortunately their last review dates from 2012 (ThreeSheets, if you hear me .. please come back !) E.g., Check this hilarious Microsoft Surface drunk review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cMVKW-fR1M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cMVKW-fR1M

smoyer 12y ago

This would be safer with a set of alcohol impairment googles ... you can at least simulate the blurry vision part of the experience - http://www.lifeloc.com/goggles.aspx http://www.lifeloc.com/goggles.aspx

akshaykarle 12y ago

Getting paid to be drunk. Kudos to the idea!

userium 12y ago

Hilarious. :) In case you want to catch common usability problems on your site, before he tests it, use https://userium.com/ https://userium.com/

farresito 12y ago

Well, that's what I have experienced for the past four years. I've been suffering from extreme brain fog due to very high copper and mercury levels which I'm getting detoxed, and that's more or less what I'm going through. It will be quite interesting to hear his thoughts.

bpg_92 12y ago

The user is left handed. As if there weren't enough left handed products websites should be too. Login/logout on the right side? Talk about equality. (It is a joke)

shultays 12y ago
It is decided, all menus should be on the center!

cust_support 12y ago

Millennials: doing whatever it takes to get your attention since 1982.

jrk_ 12y ago

I'll do the screencast for the beer only. :)

dilipray 12y ago

Rajesh Koothrappali can do it with better with Non-Alcoholic Beer. https://youtu.be/aHtSD4oU2Ro?t=26s https://youtu.be/aHtSD4oU2Ro?t=26s Kidding.

Raphmedia 12y ago

Well, time for "theuserisonacid.com".

bunkydoo 12y ago

So what prevents me from saving $150 and getting some homeless guy at the shelter to do this same shit for the price of a bottle?

DanHulton 12y ago
Well, the homeless guy probably isn't a trained UX guy, for one, so you're not getting the same value. And you're probably enabling the substance abuse problem of a person in real trouble, so I mean there's an added moral weight here.
lhc- 12y ago
The homeless guy probably doesn't know anything about UX, whereas this guy lists himself as a UX expert

deleted 12y ago

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mathattack 12y ago

Seems like a fantastic way to get someone to pass the bill on their drinking. Who knows if this will help any of their customers?

fataliss 12y ago

I like how I could't get anything out of this guy's personal website while drunk. Start to get your own stuff together before selling advices for other.

deleted 12y ago

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mjgold 12y ago

Not surprisingly, TheUserIsHigh.com was registered today...

makemoves 12y ago

Love it! Here is the follow up? oneloveux.com Get your project reviewd buy stoned developers and creatives