Top 10 Usability Issues with Star Trek

Star Trek Captains

You would expect the future would have better user experiences. While some of these usability issues are clearly to amp up dramatic tension or provide comic relief, they really just annoy the usability researcher in me.

1. Slow-Moving Automatic Doors.
   The doors on the Enterprise move extremely slow, especially when you consider fire safety, hull breaches, and boarding parties. How many times can Starfleet personnel run to safety because of a slow-moving door?
2. No Display at Mr. Spock’s Science Station.
   As science officer, you would expect that Mr. Spock would be upset at having to look through a small object to see his data. There is no large display to compare data. Instead, Mr. Spock essentially has a peep hole.
3. The Universal Translator Quickly Learns New Languages.
   Amazingly, the Universal Translator can learn new languages when the speakers say only a handful of words. The Universal Translator can detect different dialects, tones, and humor. It seems to have little, if any, flaws.
4. All Star Trek UIs Know an Intentional Touch from an Accidental Tap.
   During an attack, an Enterprise crew member falls on top of a control panel. There is no ejection of the warp core or firing a photon torpedo. Star Trek UIs know an intentional touch from an accidental one.
5. Star Trek’s Talking Computer Used for Everyday Tasks.
   Clearly, this interface is built for the theater audience rather than the user. As an audience member, we can follow the conversation on the screen. Systems (and languages) are complex. Usually, it is easier to tap a button.
6. WiFi Appears to Be Everywhere in the Star Trek Universe.
   In Star Trek, all your devices get on to a network. You can be in the middle of a volcano or on a deserted planet, but you still get a network. How come they can access a supercomputer, but the Enterprise is out of range?
7. No Safety Features on the Transporters.
   If the transporter does not have a 100% lock on its human target, it should not activate. How can we still have transporter accidents? Shouldn’t it just not work? There should not be an override with a transporter.
8. Star Trek’s Cloaking Devices Has a Known Flaw.
   You cannot use a cloaking device without having your shields off. The cloaking devices take too much power to use. In one movie, Lt. Uhura rigs up a photon torpedo to find a cloaked ship’s tail pipe.
9. Targeting Systems are Very Slow.
   You’d expect the targeting used on transporters and weapon’s systems to be very fast in Star Trek. Instead, the writers will often amp up the drama and action with slow targeting systems. Shouldn’t they be real-time?
10. Why is the Tricorder Not a Communication Device?
    The crew of the Enterprise usually take two devices with them to explore a strange, new world: a communicator and a tricorder. The tricorder can scan and analyze anything, but it cannot make a call to a starship?

I am sure that I missed many other usability issues issues with Star Trek. I am an avid fan of the series. I would be annoyed at some of the inherent usability issues with my technology, if I lived in the Star Trek universe. Let me know the usability issues that annoy you with Star Trek!

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