>>Here's a humorous (but true, unfortunately) example of bad human
>>factors design... I was taking a call on my Treo 600 in a public area
>>of my workplace. The person on the other end of the conversation
>>started saying something private that I wanted to make sure no one
>>overheard so I pressed the phone harder to my ear to block out the
>>sound. That caused my cheek to press against the Treo's screen at the
>>exact place where the "Speakerphone" on-screen button is located, with
>>results about what you'd expect.
>
>Did she make you say out loud that you loved her... "Ima justa gonna
>die" ?:-)
>
> ...Jim Thompson
I realize that the reply above was intended to be humorous, but it does bring up a beef I have with design... it seems privacy issues are usually at the bottom of the list or not even considered. In the example above, there could be serious consequences. Suppose I'm discussing a very private medical issue or arranging an interview with a different employer. If that hapenned to you, you probably wouldn't think it was so funny.
I've often brought up privacy issues and been miffed that the concerns are dismissed out of hand or the assumption is that anyone who is concerned about privacy must be doing something wrong. That is a very disturbing attitude.