Why Are User Interfaces Programmed so Poorly?

“To focus the focus, you take your hand off the keyboard, find
the mouse, grab it, begin sliding it to position the cursor over
the edit box, whip the mouse back and forth in fly-fishing
side-casting motion to unravel snarled mouse cable, click the mouse
button over the edit box – with by this point a hammering
force that could drive nails through hardwood furniture – and
the computer responds with a flashing cursor awaiting your
input.

“If the programmer had programmed the focus on the edit box,
there would be no need for all this hocus-pocus to focus the
focus.

“Besides a user-friendly default focus, user interface builders
often forget the default action of the Enter key. Going back to the
previous example, once that user name or ID is keyed in, the next
action is to send it and proceed to the next web page.

“Web pages typically have a Login, Continue or Go button beneath
the edit box for performing that action. If the programmer was
looking out for the user, the Enter key would also perform that
action by default so you could key the characters and press Enter
without removing your hands from the keyboard.

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