About Face Chp. 10 - Chp. 11
Chp. 10
Designers struggle between beginners and experts, tending to have users feel unqualified or overqualified, or a mix of both. Perpetual Intermediates are between both an expert and a beginner. Beginner stage is short, so most people tend to be intermediates. And not all people go on to further learn and progress into experts because they do not need to. Majority of the population is intermediates so designers should focus on that when designing. Many intermediates might just need reminders, and not to learn again from scratch. Or they might still continue to learn new things, but at a higher level as they use the product more for different things. A good interface has options for beginners and experts, but it's bulk focus is on the intermediate users. Through the process of inflection, the interface can be organized to only have the most used and desired navigation, functions, and controls. While tucking away more of the advanced options into other sections, where they can be found when looked for by a user. Commensurate effort, people who willingly work harder for something. Let's say someone needs to do more advanced things, they will learn more about the software in order to complete it. Compared to someone who has no purpose or drive to do so, they will not set out to learn more about what the software is capable of. If the complex nature of a software has a reward to the user, then they won't completely mind the complexity. Progressive Disclosure: Useful design pattern that hides more advanced or less used controls in an expanding pane.
Organizing for Inflection:
Frequency of use: Frequently used things should only be two clicks away, while less used things can be more clicks away.
Degree of dislocation: sudden changes in an interface or document being processed should be pushed deep into the interface.
Degree of risk exposure: functions that are irreversible or dangerous ramifications should be very difficult to stumble across, and its function should be clearly exposed for the user.
Beginners need to grasp the product’s concept fast, so they do not leave the product. The goal is get get beginners to an intermediate level, as most beginners do not want to stay beginners forever. Beginners need extra help from the application, not from overseas.Beginners rely heavily on menus and dialog boxes to learn the application. Experts want shortcuts to everything, like their everyday tools and functions. Perceptual intermediates need fast access to most common tools.
Chp. 11
Make sure our products support user intelligence and effectiveness, and do not disrupt the flow of productiveness the user is maintaining. A user’s flow is important. Flow means being unaware of time, while in a bliss of working, and most people in flow are very productive. The designer should go to great lengths to avoid disrupting a o=users flow, so that their productiveness is not disturbed. The ultimate user interface can often be no interface, so don't get distracted by any cool features you designed that could distract the user from their main goal. Software mist becomes transparent in order to create a sense of flow. Harmonious organization is what should be expected for interactive products.
Follow user’s mental models: users naturally form a mental image of how the software works, looks or a pattern of cause and effect.
Less is more: constantly strive to reduce the number of elements in the user interface without making the capabilities of the product less. Creating less effort for the user.
Let users direct rather than ask questions: ideal interaction is like using a tool, the user does not have a two way conversation with the machine, but instead directs the machine to do what they want.
Provide choices rather than ask questions: Dialog box asks questions and dont go away until answered. Toolbars and palettes offer choices, always present but polite and quiet. Choices are important, but the difference between making a choice based on presented info compared to being interrogated.
Keep necessary tools close at hand: desktops are complex, the use of toolbars allows the user to go more in depth if they want to without ruining the flow. The transition between tools should be smooth.
Provide modeless feedback: when a user manipulates tools and data, the status and effect should be clearly stated without obscuring the user’s actions. Dialog boxes are effective at doing this.
Design for the probable but anticipate the possible: Developers ability to create a software that handles the many possible, but improbable conditions that the user might make. Like not wanting to save a document they were working on for the past six hours.
Contextualize info: How an application represents information. Like showing how much storage is left on the disk, both an imagery and number combination based on the info should be shown.
Reflect object and application status: the status of user interface should be apparent to the users. Email applications do a good job at showing which emails have not been read.
Avoid unnecessary reporting: It is distracting for users to know all the details of what is happening under normal conditions. Reserve notifications for events a=outside the norm. Use more subtle options for letting users know everything is running smoothly.
Avoid blank slates: designer needs to ask if the particular interaction moves the person effectively towards their goal. Want to know what the application thinks is right, and then allows the user to change or edit it to the way they want it. Not a bunch of questions and answers needed. Software should do something that has the probability to be correct.
Differentiate between common and configuration: Differentiate between a function and a configuration of that function. If the user wants an application to perform a function on its own, it should not interrogate the user, but instead use a reasonable default to complete the function.
Hide the ejector seat levers: the interface design must ensure that the user can never inadvertently fire the ejector seat when all he wants to do is make a minor adjustment to the application. These irreversible or something that can significantly change the visual dislocation in the application should be hidden from inexperienced users.
Optimize for responsiveness but accommodate latency: if an operation or function will be very slow and time consuming, the software should confirm that the user knows, and meant to do that large function.
Motion, timing and Transitions are an integral and critical part of the digital product experience. Motion and animation is a powerful tool to express the relationship between objects and functions. However motion should not be overly used at all, must be chosen for correct spots. The goal is to enhance the user’s state of flow. Also make sure animations do not slow down functions, and that they are simple and smooth. It is not all about beauty when it comes to the user, but about the flow of the software.
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