Zero Tolerance of Bad User Experience

Like many other people in the UX industry, my tolerance of a bad experience is low to zero as standard. 

I find bad user experience insulting, because I know that the effort of consideration for the people using a product or service just hasn’t been given. I had a particularly bad experience with The National Grid today. I am going to tell the story, so feel free to skip to the end ;)

On the school run this morning, I was walking up the path towards the school with the kids, and I walked through patch of strong smelling gas (my son said it smelled like sausages which is concerning for many more reasons... I digress). I was in a rush and didn’t think much of it. Then on the walk back, I walked through the smell again, and felt obliged to report it. 

I have never reported anything like that before, so went to Google to find out how. I found an emergency gas leak number and called it. (For interested parties it is the National Grid who you report these things to.)

The person on the other end was polite; clearly reading from a script but polite all the same, let's call her Barbara. I explained the situation to Barbara; That there is a gas grate on the path by the playing fields with a strong smell of gas emitting, and I thought somebody should check it out. Barbara asked me for the house number. I explained again, this was not at an address, and I could give her the road. Barbara asked me for a post code. Trying to remain polite, I said I didn’t know, but I could give her my postcode which was nearby, but that it was NOT at that address. 

Barbara then took some time, during which I wasn’t sure if she knew I was still on the line… but hey ho, I waited. She then asked me for my name and contact number, which I gave. I wasn’t sure why she needed those, but I figured it might be a hoax prevention - but still, nothing was explained. 

Barbara then told me she needed to read me some safety guidelines. I listened to the first one ‘don’t use any electrical equipment or turn on any lights’, I stopped her, and said, ‘oh I don’t think these are going to be relevant, as the leak is under a path outside not in a property, and I am currently on the M60 now. She said ............ ‘I have to read you all the safety guidelines’😐. I considered hanging up at this point, but to be honest, I’m not rude and it would have ruined my day worrying about it, so I listened smiling to myself at the absurdity of it all. All I could think of was Little Britains ‘Computer says no’ sketch. 

Barbara informed me that workmen would be there within the hour, to which I said thank you. She then ended the call with ‘all our employees have the right to work without abuse or harm’. I said ok….expecting a ‘thank you for reporting that’ or ‘thank you for your call’, but no, her final words to me were a standard lesson in human decency. I was left feeling angry that I had even bothered. 

So here is what bothered me the most; The entire interaction was designed with one user type in mind. A resident who was reporting a leak in their home. There was no change in the responses for any other user types, which was frustrating and at times hilarious (what switches am I going to turn on walking up a public pathway?). 

The whole experience has made me feel like I will never bother to report something like this as a civic duty again. (Of course I will because of the nature of safety…. but you get my point). 

So my advice to The National Grid;

• Know who your user types are, and how their needs differ.
• Amend your services according to user needs. 
• Be courteous and end a conversation with basic manners. 

This is BASIC stuff, yet so many large businesses fail to do it. As a user and a UX'er I hate it. How can a simple interaction where I didn't even need anything out of it end in absolute fury and a bad feeling about National Grid that will stay with me for a long time.

I really must get to work finding my next contract so I can stop focusing on bad UX when I am not being paid to 😆.

Fun Gas Fact… It is actually odourless, they put the smell in so leaks can be detected. Cool right? No, jus me? :D