Tag Archives: intuitive

Tell me, I’ll forget. Show me, I’ll remember. Build me a walkthrough, I’ll have preferred a more intuitive UI.

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Title: If you see a UI walkthrough, they blew it
Context: In a world without labeled controls, the first guy who can manage to guess the correct gesture is king.
Synopsis: The natural user interface (or NUI for an acronym that you can use to amaze friends and coworkers [and by "amaze" I of course mean "annoy"]). Gestural based interactions (no acronym as far as I am aware but screw it, let’s make one up: GBI). The building blocks of today’s clean, modern, slick, buttonless, utterly perplexing UIs. “Are you mad?” I hear you ask, “These are the interfaces of the future, with nothing standing between the user and their data.” Well, yes, that may be so (the future part, not the madness part [although that may be open to debate]). But does the future require instructions? I thought technology was supposed to make our lives simpler, not leave us staring at a computer screen perplexed with what we are confronted with, unable to fathom our next move. Well, go ahead then I guess. Slap an introductory walkthrough on your app. See if I care. But will your users thank you for it?
Best Bit: “These apps have chosen to reduce details to achieve a minimal UI, but in the process the UI has also become harder to use.”

Metaphors are the Superman of user experience; there is nothing they can???t do (See what I did there?)

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Title: 5 Reasons Why Metaphors Can Improve the User Experience
Context: User experience metaphors are…um…dammit! Why can???t I ever come up with a good metaphor when I need one?
Synopsis: You use metaphors everyday to make sense of the world around you. Yes you. Don???t believe me? Take a look at the tools you interact with on a daily basis: computers, ATMs, cars, maps, phones, software…I could go on and on and each and every one is a collection of metaphors that allow you to achieve desirable outcomes ??? often through incredibly complex processes ??? that have been delivered through the universal familiarity of metaphors. If everything we had to do in our life had to be explicitly compartmentalized we would need to remember so many isolated bits of information that our brains would explode. Consistency of metaphorical models across environments (something like a keypad for entering numbers or the use of familiar iconography) allows us to reuse conceptual paradigms over and over which reduces our aggregate cognitive load and allows us to accomplish things easier, faster and with less confusion. So use metaphors as much as you can to help your users not only understand your design but also to prompt them into action. After all, metaphors are the the best thing since sliced bread.
Best Bit: ???Our conceptual system is largely metaphorical, which means that we use metaphors to reason and understand the world.???

Are you born with creativity inside you or do you have to work to become creative? Yes.

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Title: 100 Things You Should Know About People: #57 ??? There Are 4 Types Of Creativity
Context: Sure you might be creative…but what type of creative are you?
Synopsis: People are born creative. People must work to learn to be creative. Both statements are true. And neither are contradictory. The truth is that there are several types of creativity (actually 4 for those of you keeping score at home) and generally we all call upon different flavors of creativity in different circumstances. Creativity can be the product of dedication and focus or it comes to us in the brilliant flash of inspiration that we struggle to explain. Both are valid manifestations of the tremendous creative capacity of our biological makeup as well as our formulative psyche. So, the next time you are struggling to let your creative beast out of the box either work really hard to unleash your imagination or just sit back, let your mind wander and wait for a creative vision to appear spontaneously. Either way really.
Best Bit: ???Creativity can be either emotionally or cognitively based, and it can also be spontaneous or deliberate.???

You need a license to drive a car but any damn fool is allowed to create iconography.

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Title: 9 Rules to Make Your Icons Clear and Intuitive
Context: Put down the pirated copy of Photoshop and step away from the iconography.
Synopsis: Icons are easy. All you need to do is to make a little picture of something that will remind someone of some action that they may or may not need to take at some random point in the workflow of using some piece of software. It???s almost too easy actually. And like anything easy to get right, it???s also incredibly easy to screw up. As a matter fact, iconography is just about nigh on impossible to achieve, unless you follow a few simple rules that is. The number one rule being: leave the iconography to the professionals.
Best Bit: ???[The] location of the icon is more important than the visual imagery. People remember where things are, not what they look like.???

Be more creative! My work here is done…

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via spring.org.uk

Title: Unusual Thinking Styles Increase Creativity
Context: It???s our job to be creative. Which means it???s our job to think unusual thoughts. I love our job.
Synopsis: You know that way you like to work? Yeah, the way where you analytically look at the problem and deconstruct it using all of the tools you have accumulated over your career, relying on you experience to lead you to a solution. You know that way? Well stop it. Seriously. Every once in a while we need to throw a curveball at the ol??? brain to get the creative juices flowing. Breaking out of familiar ??? albeit tried and true ??? modes of working is an effective way of gaining a new perspective on a problem which can lead to new and innovative solution. So the next time you are faced with an intractable problem try thinking differently about it. It???s not just an ad campaign, it???s a good idea…
Best Bit: ???Unlike children, adults need to be reminded about the importance of creativity. Perhaps it’s because so much of everyday life encourages conformity and repeating the same things you did before.???