Chances are, you were unaware that there was a day devoted to user-friendly design. But every year on the second Thursday of November, more than 40 countries around the globe promote the science of “making life easy.”

Yesterday was World Usability Day and as such, it would seem appropriate to reflect on some good (and bad) designs from some of OU’s new campus initiatives.

I know what you’re thinking: oZONE.

Sure, there are obvious usability issues with the site, but several Facebook groups and newspaper articles have more than covered it.

Instead, let’s examine a couple of innovations that aim to increase safety at pedestrian crossings.

You may have noticed the new pedestrian crosswalk signals at intersections on Boyd (by Campus Corner) and Lindsey (by the dorms). Although the change seems to promote a safer crossing environment by using visual and auditory cues, the system poses a couple of dangerous problems upon closer investigation.

When it is safe to cross, a voice says, “walk sign is on.” To the distracted or visually impaired, this vague statement could result in a hazardous situation.

The statement is preceded by a sound to communicate crossing direction (i.e. two beeps for north-south and a chirp for east-west) but this is still not easily discernable.

Pedestrians who rely solely on their ears could easily step into oncoming traffic mistakenly thinking the “walk sign is on” statement was intended for them.

One possible solution to this problem would be to change the message to something more informative like “traffic on Boyd Street is stopping … now crossing Boyd Street.”

Additional improved crosswalks can be seen along Elm Street just east of Catlett Music Center. These crossings feature sensors that trigger flashing lights in the road and on crossing signs when a pedestrian enters the roadway.

The fact that these lights capture driver attention is great, but what about the unlit crosswalk along the same road?

Consider this scenario: A driver is northbound on Elm and has just passed the three-way stop at Brooks. The lights in front of Catlett begin to flash which directs the driver’s attention further up the road and away from a pedestrian in the crosswalk in front of Goddard.

This issue of situational awareness could be avoided if the same lit warning system was installed throughout Elm Street (and perhaps standardized throughout campus).

These are just a few examples of good ideas that can be misused due to bad designs. When implementing a change, it is important to consider all the impacts it could have on the end user.

So the next time you cross the street, remember to use all of your senses and look both ways.

Drew Harnish is an industrial engineering graduate student. He is also the president of the OU Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, a multidisciplinary organization that promotes and advances the understanding of the human factors involved in the design, manufacture and use of machines, systems, environments and devices of all kinds.