Minor Usability Rant

Posted By : todd sharp Posted At : July 10, 2008 8:43 AM Posted In: Usability

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I'm not the usability expert, but nothing annoys me more then a toolbar/menu on a site or application that has nothing but icons representing links/actions. I'll give a free pass to folks who use tooltips or some other descriptive text, but I get seriously annoyed when there is nothing but an icon/image. Other then the universal 'save/open/new' buttons (and even then there are exceptions) I usually find myself taking a wild guess as to what the little 'semi truck' icon or some other stupid icon is supposed to represent. Don't do this - it's horrible - please. </rant>

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Joe Rinehart's Gravatar I'll take this opportunity to say that PeopleclickVMS does this, and it drives me bonkers. You have to look at the URL in the status bar to get any idea what an icon does, guessing from the script name.

Between this and a number of other things, it's a truly horrible piece of software.

Posted by: Joe Rinehart on: 7/10/08 10:03 AM

Ben Nadel's Gravatar Word up! Icons alone do nothing, especially when there are like 8 icons in a row. Maybe the pencil icon, I get... maybe the trash can icon, I get... but people use ridiculous icons to represent actions.

Posted by: Ben Nadel on: 7/10/08 11:24 AM

Gary Gilbert's Gravatar usability is not an artform its something that requires thinking, and thats exactly the problem.

Is it ok/cancel or cancel/ok, yes/no or no/yes

We have generally accepted "norms" when it comes to how we build applications and when you step out of those norms your users must learn how to use your application.

Whereas if you stuck to the norms your users wouldn't need to think where to find things they would be in the expected places, and at the very least the icons would look how we expect them to be.

Thats what really bothers me about Microsoft with every release of Word they change the way it operates and we are forced to learn how to use the application again and again.
</rant>

Posted by: Gary Gilbert on: 7/10/08 11:28 AM

todd sharp's Gravatar Ugh...as a matter of fact I just ran into the yes/no thing last night - thanks for reminding me.

So the gigantic, overly geeky/techincal explanation (a huge downfall of some OS software) in the prompt that I was reading basically was asking me if I wanted to overwrite the file. Only it asked backwards (which you'd only know if you spent 2 minutes reading the novel above the Yes/No buttons). It was basically asking if I wanted to NOT OVERWRITE (keep the existing) file. Bass-ackwards really - normally I'd click Yes, go ahead and overwrite - but clicking Yes cancelled the operation since I was really saying 'Yes, keep my existing file, don't overwrite it"...

Posted by: todd sharp on: 7/10/08 11:35 AM

todd sharp's Gravatar Ha...this all reminds me of a heads up that Mr Nadel himself posted on this very blog at one time. Look at the comment form - I have Cancel before Post. Ugh..I suck...or is that how all blogcfc installations ship?

Posted by: todd sharp on: 7/10/08 11:37 AM

Ben Nadel's Gravatar Ha ha :)

Personal, I think "Cancel" buttons should not even by on a form post like this. I have been meaning to take the cancel button off of my Comment screen for like 15 months now :) Just haven't been able to carve out that 30 seconds it would take to update.

Posted by: Ben Nadel on: 7/10/08 11:40 AM

todd sharp's Gravatar Well it appears that all BlogCFC comment forms (most that I just checked) have 'Cancel' before 'Post', but I just switched mine. I think it flows more naturally for those of us who do the good old 'tab-tab-enter' when filling out forms. Hopefully it won't screw too many people up :)

Posted by: todd sharp on: 7/10/08 11:40 AM

todd sharp's Gravatar Touche! Again, you're right...mine is now gone. I think I'm ok with that. I mean, after all if you change your mind you can just close the window right?

Posted by: todd sharp on: 7/10/08 11:41 AM

Ben Nadel's Gravatar @Todd,

Nice. Word up about closing the window. I think all it takes is one accidental "cancel" click to make you angry enough to ban Cancel buttons :)

You have inspired me to get rid of mine... as soon as I am done with some stuff.

Posted by: Ben Nadel on: 7/10/08 11:45 AM

Edward Beckett's Gravatar Nice Todd...

Cancel Button Now Destroyed ...

E

Posted by: Edward Beckett on: 7/13/08 8:00 PM
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