{"id":4106,"date":"2014-08-31T09:24:09","date_gmt":"2014-08-31T15:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/?p=4106"},"modified":"2014-08-31T09:24:09","modified_gmt":"2014-08-31T15:24:09","slug":"help-joy-help-you-on-the-unusability-of-internal-systems-disambiguity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2014\/08\/31\/help-joy-help-you-on-the-unusability-of-internal-systems-disambiguity\/","title":{"rendered":"Help Joy help you. On the unusability of internal systems. \u2013 disambiguity"},"content":{"rendered":"Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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Yup. No-one wants to use your software – they merely want to get their work done. When will software designers realize, that they are NOT the experts when it comes to design? Usability is one of the few areas where the customer is indeed always right. Granted, a few seem to get it, but most still seem to think that since they are the tech experts, they somehow know how to do everyone’s job – and they never seem to tire of telling them they’re doing it wrong.<\/p>\n

And yet, all the time, we say \u2018It does\u2019t matter, we\u2019ll sort that out with training\u2019, \u2018Call the tech writers, we\u2019ll make a manual for this system\u2019, \u2018Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ll inflict this piece of crap on our employees, unlike our customers they\u2019re stuck with us\u2019.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

via Help Joy help you. On the unusability of internal systems. \u2013 disambiguity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition<\/a> – this applies in any kind of UX design:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The Lessons<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. \n

    Usability Means\u2026<\/h4>\n

    Usability means making sure something works well, and that a person of average ability or experience can use it for its intended purpose without getting hopelessly frustrated.<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Web applications should explain themselves.<\/h4>\n

    As far as humanly possible, when I look at a web page it should be self-evident. Obvious. Self-explanatory.<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Don\u2019t Make Me Think<\/h4>\n

    As a rule, people don\u2019t like to puzzle over how to do things. If people who build a site don\u2019t care enough to make things obvious it can erode confidence in the site and its publishers.<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Don\u2019t waste my time<\/h4>\n

    Much of our web use is motivated by the desire to save time. As a result, web users tend to act like sharks. They have to keep moving or they\u2019ll die.<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    Users still cling to their back buttons<\/h4>\n

    There\u2019s not much of a penalty for guessing wrong. Unlike firefighting, the penalty for guessing wrong on a website is just a click or two of the back button. The back button is the most-used feature of web browsers.<\/li>\n

  6. \n

    We\u2019re creatures of habit<\/h4>\n

    If we find something that works, we stick to it. Once we find something that works \u2014 no matter how badly \u2014 we tend not to look for a better way. We\u2019ll use a better way if we stumble across one, but we seldom look for one.<\/li>\n

  7. \n

    No Time for Small Talk<\/h4>\n

    Happy talk is like small talk \u2013 content free, basically just a way to be sociable. But most Web users don\u2019t have time for small talk; they want to get right to the beef. You can \u2013 and should \u2013 eliminate as much happy talk as possible.<\/li>\n

  8. \n

    Don\u2019t lose search<\/h4>\n

    Some people (search-dominant users), will almost always look for a search box as they enter a site. These may be the same people who look for the nearest clerk as soon as they enter a store.<\/li>\n

  9. \n

    We form mental site-maps<\/h4>\n

    When we return to something on a Web site, instead of replying on a physical sense of where it is, we have to remember where it is in the conceptual hierarchy and retrace our steps.<\/li>\n

  10. \n

    Make it easy to go home<\/h4>\n

    Having a home button in sight at all times offers reassurance that no matter how lost I may get, I can always start over, like pressing a Reset button or using a \u201cGet out of Jail free\u201d card.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/blockquote>\n

     <\/p>\n