Usability vs. Thinkability
You know, not every interaction snafu is rooted in poor UI design. I’d argue that most of the time they’re rooted in user inattention/carelessness (we call these cases “accidents”) or even lack of user intelligence (don’t get me started on how we’re all supposedly of average or better intelligence. Harumph!). Sure, most things could be better designed, but as the human you have to recognize your responsibility to interact accurately with a UI.
Rachel points out what is likely a common example of something we all do from time to time: making a mistake with a UI. She rightly does not directly blame the UI, but a couple of commentors allude to inherent confusion or misleading characteristics in the UI. As designers, in such cases we’re predisposed to cry foul and blame a UI for its confusing or misleading design, but I hope that we don’t shut off our brains in the process. Is it not perfectly acceptable to require that users read what is on a button in order to ascertain its function?
In answer to Rachel’s question, I don’t think it is at all annoying that the two buttons might appear “eerily similar.” They’re buttons. I do, however, find it annoying that like her I sometimes make a mistake due to my own inattention and carelessness. My bad.
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Comments (5)
Hmm, very good point, don’t blame the UI for inattentiveness. This will likely change the way I review interfaces on my UI blog — http://uiscraps.tumblr.com — thanks for sharing. I’m probably guilty of cutting up on UI’s when my own lack of attention is to blame. It’s often too easy to forget and blame the UI.
Nice, short post.
[...] Usability vs. Thinkability [...]
I think both buttons serve their intended functions well as primary and secondary calls to action. Had the buttons been “eerily dissimilar” we’d probable be deriding the UI for neglecting consistency!
It’s an interesting question. I think we all suffer from it from time to time. There’s plenty in the discussion. I currently have a client who has requested a complex UI. During testing, feedback such as “change the colour of instructions to red”, and “put click on this thumbnail for a larger image”. My instinct is to initially blame the other UI (user intelligence), and to declare that by placing nstructions all over the page and not relying on affordance will ultimately clutter the design. Truth is, the answer is somewhere between the two. I need to find ways to improve the usability, without indulging the sledgehammer suggestions from my client.
[...] Do you know the difference between usability and thinkability? [...]
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