"Push me. Wait... you can't" -- Designing task flow for everyday things
johnnyholland.org
johnnyholland.org
I found this amusing in an article condemning perceived affordances.
I've dabbled in this field in my job, but I don't have any real training, so I've had to teach myself.
The classic text in this field is _The Design of Everyday Things_, by Donald Norman.[1] Also very useful is _Interaction Design_.[2] The first is a very quick read (it's only about 200 pages, and not very technical), while the second is a textbook intended for use in university courses on HCI.
I've found both very valuable in trying to figure out how users approach things without any formal cognitive science or HCI training.
[1] http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d... [2] http://www.amazon.com/Interaction-Design-Beyond-Human-Comput...
One of the major challenges of product design is figuring out how to teach users what actions are available to them. Designing the UI in a clear and consistent way (obviously clickable buttons, etc.) helps users understand which simple actions are available. What about teaching more complex actions?
Documentation (including tutorials) is one way. Listing possibilities either at startup or when a process is loading (say, while the ATM is verifying you can withdraw money) is another. Many video games use awards -- you're introduced to the awards list by accomplishing something simple (logging in for the first time, shooting your first zombie) and can then read over the list to see other possibilities from the most basic to the most advanced.
I'm curious to see if there are other common ways to teach users about their "affordances".
There's a pretty standard language, I think, for those in hardware design for interaction. Maybe it's never been documented (that would be an interesting project). I'd say things like "bevels surrounding text" is a fairly standard "I'm a button; please press me" concept. I think after that point, though, it rapidly deteriorates.
Obviously, a button sitting over a linear trench says "I'm a slider," but what about things like the iPod clickwheel? Doesn't seem like a standard interaction, but it was immediately graspable and usable by a huge majority of the population.
Interesting stuff, if you're willing to dive into it.