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The UX of School Photos

Here is what I imagine was said, “OK, now let’s get your hair combed.  Please cross your arms.  Now we put the tree picture behind you.  Lastly, let’s see a smile.  Ok, now keep that smile….wait for it….keep smiling….almost there….oops…one more second.”

What is the point of a photo like this?  What does the photographer think they are accomplishing?  Couldn’t we live in a world where the photographer took candid photos of each kid in class?

Something like this makes me infinitely happier.

He looks normal here.  The other one, he looks like a psychopath.  Maybe not oo much UX in here.  Candids are better than staged photos.  How’s that?

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One response to “The UX of School Photos”

  1. Dan Avatar
    Dan

    Great point. I wonder if there is some kind of generic yearbook software. You give it a database of students, sports teams, teacher’s ect and it populates the book. Each student gets an idea number and parents can email a picture with a file name of that ID number. Of course, there would have to be something for families that don’t have access to email or digital pictures, but that seems like an easy enough issue to overcome. Perhaps the “class photo” is just a relic from the old days when students wore suits and girls dolled themselves up. A formal picture like that might have some value, but I like the candid pictures better as well (or in the case of my high school picture, I would have preferred a picture of a stickman with a hat).

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