Hawaiian Emergency Management - Passwords on Post-it Notes on Computer Screens

The Hawaii Emergency Management false alarm mess was not caused by pressing the wrong button. It was caused by poor design.

Ever select the wrong thing from a drop-down menu? Sure, it happens all the time.

The Washington Post reports...

The menu, which triggers alerts, contains a jumble of options, ranging from Amber alerts to Tsunami warnings to road closures. Some of them, such as “High Surf Warning North Shores,” are in plain English.

Others, including the one for a missile attack, “PACOM (CDW)-STATE ONLY,” use shorthand initials. (PACOM refers to the United States Pacific Command based in Hawaii.)

And the menu contained no ballistic missile defense false alarm option — which has now been added at the top of the image, marked up by officials for explanatory purposes. more

 Suggestions: 
1. Separate the messages into smaller groups: Routine Tests | Advisories | Life Threatening
2. Drop the jargon. Say what you mean, clearly.
3. Do not use instant-select dropdown menus.
4. Use radio buttons to select the message, plus a CONFIRMATION and CANCEL button to activate the selected alert, or not. Two extra seconds of thought can prevent a lot of mistakes.

If you need help with design, call on the master, John McWade. He can teach you.

And, what's with posting the passwords to an emergency management computer screen?!?!
If the personnel can't memorize a password as lame as this, they shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a keyboard. more

Password: Warningpoint2