Talent2 was designed by amateurs

Where I work they've recently rolled out a new HR system called Talent2. It has some great features, the chief one being that a lot of the dodgy old paper forms are now online, and when my staff fill in leave forms I get an email pointing me at the web site saying I've got an approval to do.

The thing is, the web interface was designed by amateurs, and seemingly not tested on actual people. It's the simple, easy-to-implement features that are broken. Like the email. It could link directly to the thing it wants me to look at. But no, it links me to the front page of the site and expects me to drill down to the right page. And the staff management system - it lets you "change context" so you're viewing the record of your staff. But it doesn't really show that on the interface (it does mention it in the details of the reports you get; it's just not obvious), so you can easily get lost and try to do stuff on someone else's behalf. When you need to approve leave for a staff member, and they've listed that they have a medical certificate, your can't approve it. The approve button is greyed out (you can deny the request or escalate it still). And the page gives no hint as to why you can't approve it. I hassled the HR folks and they told me that I had to click on the very non-obvious link that looked like this:

456728*

And choose approve from the dropdown menu there. I'll clarify this: there are two controls for the same bit of data, on different pages, and one will work but the other is disabled, and neither of them tell me why or what I am supposed to do in this case.

This is a system thousands of staff have to use, and is used in many major corporations around the world, and they haven't bothered to fix the small and easy-to-fix usability issues that may only cost a minute or two to the user, but that minute or two is multiplied by the many times a year each user uses it, multiplied by the thousands of staff around here, and you end up with quite a bit of unnecessary productivity loss.

Idiots.

Oh well, it's an improvement over the previous system, so I won't kick up a stink. Just send in polite and regular suggestions as to how they might improve the thing.

* Random number changed to protect the innocent

The little girl talks!

So, over the last week or two, the little girl has started with some words. And she's only ten months old. She started with Cat (pronounced Ca't), and is working on More, and has recently started calling me Da. She's also waving and high fiving! We're all quite impressed.

Foot Cat

I love cats, but am tragically allergic to them, so I have to enjoy their company from a distance. Which is why it's delightful that Squishy and I have come to the Foot Cat Compromise. After the kids have gone to bed and she feels it's safe to come out, she strolls up to the couch where I'm sitting, so I can pat her with my foot. And if I don't rub quickly enough, she'll start rubbing up against my foot herself.