Bureaucrats, emailconfirmed
1,221
edits
→Visibility
(→User Goals: . better example) |
|||
| Line 288: | Line 288: | ||
==Visibility== | ==Visibility== | ||
It is far harder to recall from memory than to recognize. It is the same with functionality of product. If you see the control that triggers a function you will immediately know that the function exists and that you can use this control to trigger it. In contrast if you use a command line you need to retrieve the correct command from memory without any help. This is much harder to do. | [[File:VW_Passat_CC_Cockpit.JPG|thumb|300px|car cockpit: great example for visibility]] | ||
The proverb "out of sight, out of soul" is quite right: what we don't see is seldom in our working memory and | It is far harder to recall from memory than to recognize. It is the same with functionality of product. If you see the control that triggers a function you will immediately know that the function exists and that you can use this control to trigger it. In contrast if you use a command line or a special gesture you need to retrieve the correct command from memory without any help. This is much harder to do. | ||
The proverb "out of sight, out of soul" is quite right: what we don't see is seldom in our [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_memory|working memory] (the part of memory we use to solve problems) and needs to be conscious retrieved - a costly process regarding cognitive resources. | |||
There are many invisible functions we face everyday: Water-tabs that are triggered if you weave a hand in front of them, keyboard shortcuts and touch-gestures. As well functionality is invisible if you need to go to a certain place to see a visual representation. So the folder you save your work in is invisible as log as you don't open the file manager and navigate to your folder. Same with deeply nested menus. | There are many invisible functions we face everyday: Water-tabs that are triggered if you weave a hand in front of them, keyboard shortcuts and touch-gestures. As well functionality is invisible if you need to go to a certain place to see a visual representation. So the folder you save your work in is invisible as log as you don't open the file manager and navigate to your folder. Same with deeply nested menus. | ||
A positive example of a interface that does a great job concerning visibility is the of a car. Everything you need is immediately visible. | A positive example of a interface that does a great job concerning visibility is the of a car. Everything you need is immediately visible. | ||
Often the principle of visibility is ignored to make the interface disappear in order to make the product look nicer. Sometimes it really adds a bit of aesthetics but for the price of easy use and learning. So don't do so. What can be invisible are accelerator mechanisms like shortsćuts as long as the functions they trigger are accessible in an other, visible way. | Often the principle of visibility is ignored to make the interface disappear in order to make the product look nicer. Sometimes it really adds a bit of aesthetics but for the price of easy use and learning. So don't do so. What can be invisible are accelerator mechanisms like shortsćuts as long as the functions they trigger are accessible in an other, visible way. | ||
==Feedback== | ==Feedback== | ||
[[File:746px-Eric_'slowhand'_Clapton.jpg|thumb|200px|Could Eric Clapton play guitar without feedback? Probably not!]] | [[File:746px-Eric_'slowhand'_Clapton.jpg|thumb|200px|Could Eric Clapton play guitar without feedback? Probably not!]] | ||