Constraints make sure users not make mistakes by simply limiting the range of fields users are allowed to do. It helps users to manipulate the system efficiently. For example, for entering a date, an interface can have set dates that users can choose from instead of inputting things themselves, which can have high user error....
Immediate feedback exposes the underlying cause-and-effect relationships so they are easy to learn. When feedback is delayed, the connection between action and result is diffused. The user can’t be sure if the result happened because of a button click or a menu item they selected. This uncertainty leads to confusion and misunderstandings. The user can’t...
Recognition rather than recall refers to the idea that users should not have to remember information from one part of the action to another. This is the reduce the user’s memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate. For example,...
The practice of wrapping something undesirable with something desirable, e.g. reward of listening to audiobook is bundled with the task of going to the gym. In a study measuring the effect of temptation binding (“Holding the Hunger Games Hostage”), participants who were forcible locked out of their audiobooks except when at the gym showed...
Affordance – a concept originally developed by psychologist James Gibson to make an argument about perception and how humans act on something independently from the perceived physical attributes of that thing. Don Norman adopted this concept into the design world. Describes the aesthetic properties of an object that communicate what you can do with that...
Faceted browsing is a method of accessing organized information. Users receive an initial set of results, with a number of different facets and they can choose which ones are relevant to them. Results update immediately without having to do new search. In other words, multiple filters can be applied to access and organize information....
Often, it is unclear whether something is done, working, or broken. These can result in a gulf of evaluation, a previous concept which indicates that the user does not know what the state of the interface is. A solution to that problem is the concept of Visibility of System Status: a design should make...
In class, we talked about a method that allows the generation of new and creative ideas through a unique method known as attribute listing. One first goes through a brainstorming process with a specific problem topic in mind, trying to come up with a variety of ideas in a short amount of time. Afterwards,...
In layman’s terms, we might call design fixation experiencing tunnel vision or getting set in our ways . This is especially critical during the initial ideation process or if we’re at an impasse—if the idea that we expose ourselves to is a mundane one, we run the risk of getting “stuck” and only generating...