Germany is known for its quality design and signage, and rightly so. France? Not so much (as anybody who’s landed at Charles De Gaulle airport will tell you).
Still, the baffling public transportation ticket vending machines in Cologne, Germany, that the Geeks are confronted with this week, stand in stark contrast to the Paris Metro machines, which I have always thought have the coolest UI.
Basically, you’ve got a red « Cancel » button, a big rolly selection thingy, and a green « OK » button.
Turn the rolly thingy to highlight the big graphics on the screen, hit OK. It’s as simple as it gets.
Or just run to the machine and turn the rolly thingy as fast as you can for kicks, like my kids used to do when they were small.