DESPITE the occasional flashes of brilliance in our House of Assembly, it’s difficult not to judge the overall quality of recent representation as poor, or maybe piss poor if you don’t mind the vulgarity. On Tuesday, the Speaker’s well-publicised and ultimately vain efforts to get a recalcitrant representative to retract some errant remarks that were picked up on the microphone, suggests that disorder had briefly reigned, and that a greater level of control was needed. Although order soon returned to the House, this episode suggests the need for additional control and safety measures to avoid similar occurrences.
Well-designed computer systems actively shield the user from certain types of mistakes. The very fact that you are able to make some type of mistake, means that the fault is not yours, but the fault of the system designer. In the case of the elected representatives in the House of Assembly, the sensitivity of the microphones may have been at fault. If when using the on-screen keyboard on your smartphone you press the send button when you meant to press the delete button, likewise, the design of the keyboard is to blame. If you have ever mistakenly attempted to start an already-running vehicle, you already know the anguish of poor design.
This means that the appearance of order is partly to do with effective leadership and control, as much as good design. For example:
* Elevated sidewalks prevent motorists from straying off the road surface to endanger pedestrians;
* Hygienically designed doors may be opened with a push from either direction;
* Modern email programs will warn you before you send a message without a subject;
* Improperly configured systems should automatically deactivate themselves in a fail-safe manner.
Arguably, over reliance on technology and rules may cause other types of problems, but you might agree that well thought out systems have a beauty, simplicity, and order that is hard to beat! Sometimes, the thing that we want to do might be just what we ought not to do.
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About the Author
Dr. Lyndell St. Ville is an ICT Consultant based in Saint Lucia. His expertise includes systems analysis, design, and capacity building.