Usability Views Article Details  home | timeline | recent | popular | e-reports | userati | books | about  The Gates: Changing the User Experience of Central Park (27 Apr 2005) The Gates showed people where certain paths were, leading them around the park in a way that they never explored before. An interesting usability issue arose on a path that leads to a locked door at the Metropolitan Museum. The Gates went right up to the door and a large glass window that allowed people inside to get a great view of the Gates. People on the outside would follow the Gates right up to the locked door, and were often surprised to find they couldn’t get in. If the Gates had not been on that path, I don’t think they would have gone to the door. Clearly it was a usability issue, since the Gates were leading users to a door that didn’t open. On the other hand, it could have been artistic license, making a statement that the process, the path is more important than the destination. Article URL: http://www.upassoc.org/upa_publications/upa_voice/volumes/2005/april/gates.html Read 51 more articles from Usability Professionals Association sorted by date, popularity, or title. Next Article: The Problem with Usability Change Recommendations     This site is a labour of love built by Chris McEvoy