Limiting Factors in Usability
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Transcript of Limiting Factors in Usability
Limiting Factors in Usability
To users,it's still the basics that count!
Who??? Jack Bellis
Or Any User
“My interest in usability arose from the pain and tears of patching the wounds of suffering interface designs with the inadequate bandages of help files and user guides.”—Daniel Cohen
… words/phrases I tend to ignore are, 'make it easy' and 'make it intuitive.' These are not useful descriptions of solutions, but rather descriptions of the feelings that users have using it. It is important to listen to these statements, but they are not directions." —David Malouf
My Case…
A Condensed History of Usability
Reprinted for educational purposes, by permission of Mackaycartoons.net
In the beginning…
… before that?
Elegance…?
The answer to all design questions is, “It depends.” —Me
Every technological age is characterized by the precipitous drop in price of a particular commodity. —Heard on public television speech.
"Design is a process - an intimate collaboration between engineers, designers, and clients." - Henry Dreyfuss, Industrial Designer.
Improving Today’s Usability
The Goal of Usability... is to eliminate the need for in-advance training.
Accuracy
Verbosity(?)
Directness
"There is always a tradeoff between the convenience of the programmer and the convenience of the user. " —I've always believed that this was from Peter Norton, but I've never been able to substantiate it.
Grouping
Noise Reduction
The greatest of all talents is that of not using two words when one will do. —Thomas Jefferson
I’m sorry this letter is so long. I didn’t have time to make it shorter. —Abraham Lincoln
Explicitness
Precision
General-to-Specific Positioning
Conventions
Explain Delays & Timing
Explain “Not”
For Infrequent Tasks…Put the Info Right in the Interface
For Repetitive Tasks…Put Instructions into Once-Only Messages
If you can’t make a
Web 2.0… Ajax-enabled… Dynamically-controlled… Animated-data… Context-intelligent system…
Do This… Give Users a Chance
Be Explicit… Direct, Accurate, Precise, Descriptive
Use Standards and Conventions For Infrequent Tasks…
Put the Info Right in the Interface For Repetitive Tasks…
Put Instructions into Once-Only Messages