Chapter 10: Orchestration and Flow By reducing disruptive elements in software, designers promote productivity and efficiency. The idea is to build a mental.

Chapter 10: Orchestration and FlowBy reducing disruptive elements in software, designers promote productivity and

efficiency.

The idea is to build a mental state in which the

user’s work can flow.

Work

Flo

w

Work

Flo

w

Work

Flo

w

Work

Flo

w

Anxiety

Boredom

TransparencyThe attention of people is limited, so it’s important in a software interface to limit what’s

noticed to what needs to be noticed.

Example: FedEx’s

Rate-Finder Web Site

Making Interfaces Perfectly ClearSeveral general rules of thumb contribute to the design of transparent interfaces.

• Use the intended user’s mental model to determine how the software accomplishes its tasks.

• Curtail the conversational aspects of the interface, telling users only what they need to know and querying them only about essential information.

• Use toolbars and palettes to make commonly used tools handy, but not cluttered.

• Reduce flow disruption by using modeless feedback, instead of modal forms that must be closed before work can resume.

OrchestrationGuidelines may be useful in designing interfaces, but it’s more important to

develop the appropriate interface for a specific application than to obey a strict set of rules.

For example, when grouping menu

items, the option on the left is better than the “over-grouped”

center option and the “under-grouped”

right option.

But are hard and fast rules for upper and lower bounds on menu grouping even possible?

Less Is More...Generally, it’s a good idea to avoid overcomplicating user interfaces, making

common operations simple to execute.

Example: The BMW I-DriveTo provide luxury car drivers with “easy” access to comfort features (audio, climate, navigation, communication, etc.), BMW has developed a tactile knob-driven interactive interface.

Less Is More...Generally, it’s a good idea to avoid overcomplicating user interfaces, making

common operations simple to execute.

...Except When More Is MoreSometimes the designer must choose between visual simplicity and simple

visuality.

Example: Browsing eBay CategoriesThe “Buy” page lists the categories with a minimal set of subcategories and links to full lists. The “Categories” page lists the categories with a larger (but still incomplete) set of subcategories and the same links.

Which is “better”?

What Are The Odds?Sometimes it might be better to reduce user effort by performing the most likely

operation.

Example: MS Word

When users try to delete cells from a table, they’re asked about shifting

cells or deleting whole rows or

columns.

Why ask this question when it’s “obvious”

that whole rows are being deleted?

Graphical NumericsUnless a complicated numerical value has particular value to the user, displaying

a graphical representation would usually be better.

Example: Microsoft’s Keyboard Properties

It wouldn’t be very productive to supply the user with particular numerical values for the cursor blink rate or the delay that transpires before a sustained key press results in additional characters being

generated.

Configure HatingForcing the user to reconfigure software every time it’s used is very tedious and

often unnecessary.

Example: PowerPoint

If the user always prints slides as grayscale handouts, two slides per page, double-sided, stapled, and to

the same printer, then why must these settings be restored every time

the command is issued?

Being ChoosySoftware interrogation can be unpleasant - It’s usually preferable to give the user

a selection from which to choose.

Example: Microsoft ExcelWhen placing a border around spreadsheet cells, the pop-up menu

leads to a dialog-boxed Q&A, but there is an iconic pull-down menu that provides simple choices.

Chapter 11: Eliminating ExciseExcise is the extra work that users must do in order to perform their actual

software tasks.

Common Sources Of Unnecessary Excise:

• Forcing users to reenter personal settings.

• Forcing users to confirm actions when they can undo.

• Forcing users to resize or scroll to view contents.

• Forcing users to start over when resuming interrupted tasks.

Example: Web Favorites

Rather than forcing users to remember a long list of favorite URLs, most Web

browsers allow them to set up lists of

favorites.

The bad news: There is some excise

involved in having the users set up the

list themselves.

Example: Halting Interruptions

Users are increasingly being given the opportunity to halt non-essential messages that are generated automatically

when certain actions are attempted.

The bad news: Restoring the message generation might be difficult to

accomplish.

Example: Browser Input

Rather than having to browse a directory to locate an

appropriate destination, some applications allow users to input directly into the file

hierarchy.

The bad news: Users are more likely to misplace files and folders.

NavigationNavigation of user interfaces takes many forms.

Navigating Between Windows

Problems:

• Obscuring

• Disruptive

• Disorienting

Problems:

• Obscuring

• Disruptive

• Disorienting

Solutions:

• Keep the main interactions in the primary window

• Minimize dialog depth

• Give successive windows unique appearances

Solutions:

• Keep the main interactions in the primary window

• Minimize dialog depth

• Give successive windows unique appearances

Navigating Between Panes Within A Window

Problems:

• Clutter

• Confusing

• Scrolling

Problems:

• Clutter

• Confusing

• Scrolling

Solutions:

• Minimize the number of panes

• Use tabbed panes

• Separate panes with splitters

Solutions:

• Minimize the number of panes

• Use tabbed panes

• Separate panes with splitters

Navigating Between Panes Within A Window

Problems:

• Clutter

• Confusing

• Scrolling

Problems:

• Clutter

• Confusing

• Scrolling

Solutions:

• Minimize the number of panes

• Use tabbed panes

• Separate panes with splitters

Solutions:

• Minimize the number of panes

• Use tabbed panes

• Separate panes with splitters

Navigating Between Tools And Menus

Problems:

• Repetitive Stress

• Fatigue

• Annoyance

Problems:

• Repetitive Stress

• Fatigue

• Annoyance

Solutions:

• Reserve menus for rare access

• Group related tools

• Balance icon sizes’ clutter with their accessibility

Solutions:

• Reserve menus for rare access

• Group related tools

• Balance icon sizes’ clutter with their accessibility

InflectionInflection is the organization of an interface so that the typically used

functionality is made most conveniently accessible.

The principle of commensurate effort relates to interface inflection.

Basically, users are expected to be willing to work harder to obtain something they see as more valuable.

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