• Screens were divided into 6 panels, each with horizontal and vertical scroll bars. As a result content that was relevant to the task was obscured while irrelevant content was constantly in view. Much of the interaction between user and application that could be observed involved adjusting the screen layout by closing, opening and/or resizing the panels.
• The relationship between the panels was not sufficiently clear due to inconsistent labeling.
• Available functionality was hidden / actions could only be completed with a context menu.

My job was to improve the tools efficiency and learnability in order to expand its user base. After doing contextual inquiries and studying examples of screen layouts that had been adjusted by users in the course of completing their tasks I was able to discover which combination of screen content was needed when.

Click to enlarge image

The resulting new interface design consisted of three different combinations of just two panels per screen to be used when respectively viewing / editing text, forming elements from text, or forming diagrams from elements.

A user can move through the screens from left to right while translating the text into logical elements, or from right to left to view the text fragments to which the elements were traced.

To determine which user interaction to create elements from text had the best efficiency and user experience 3 alternatives were tested with expert and new users.

Responsibilities: user research, requirement development, information architecture, prototyping (iRise).

Responsibilities: coordination, formulation of goals & functional requirements, design (CSS, illustrations, photo’s) & implementation.

Susan explains that we have evolved to have 3 brains: an “old” brain; which is concerned with our survival and takes care of things automatically, a mid brain where the emotions are processed which causes us to feel things and a new brain that handles things like speech, reading, thinking and planning.

The trick is that a lot of the processing of the old and mid brain occurs outside of our conscious awareness.

“… it means we think we make decisions about how to act and what to do consciously, but actually most of our decision making and behavior is governed by unconscious processing. We can’t really separate what we do consciously from the unconscious aspects.”

Our unconscious is some ways even smarter than our conscious mind and we learn patterns or rules without consciously knowing about them. This would explain the importance of consistency in the layout and navigation of user interfaces and the frustration / disorientation that follows when the rules are changed or are inconsistent.

In one of the chapters she explains how feeling indebted works and how to build reciprocity and concession with, for example, giving things away at a web site. I bet anticipating the users needs while he or she is using an application is like giving them a no strings attached present too, and that triggers reciprocity as well (in the form of adoption).

She also explains why I will have to do something about my own blog. Not enough pictures.

A new book of hers is about to be published. “100 things you should know about people”. The first 20 can be downloaded from her blog “What Makes Them Click: Applying Psychology to Understand How People Think, Work, and Relate

“User experience” in its broadest sense is a force to be reckoned with. In the iPad’s case it was first even only the promise of a good user experience (because what was it / what was it for?). And Apple delivered; people who have been using an iPad for a while now are not disappointed and can tell you what they like using it for.

It’s not that the IPad “is like” or can replace some specific other thing like a smart phone or a notebook (computer) but contexts of use the iPad is more suited for than these other things are being discovered all the time and iPad apps are being developed for these new uses. I think it is very exiting. Just like people didn’t know how to use plastic to it’s full potential at first and used it to copy other materials. And of course the iPad does not have it’s definite form. The competition is on its heels and the iPad will be refined as we learn “what it’s for”.
Next time: examples of what the iPad seems to be good for.

Speech recognition technology could be a fast and (for the user) effortless way of communicating in certain situations if or when it works properly. But, as I just experienced, it is infuriating when it isn’t. You’re tricked into thinking you’re being understood but later it is revealed that the computer cannot deal with the complexities of human life.

In this case the paper’s computer system cannot even deal with addresses with additions to the house number. In the Netherlands this must exclude half of the households from being able to use this communication channel. The Volkskrant answering service asks first for your postal code (and repeats it), then for the street number without the addition (and repeats the number). So you expect it to ask for the addition next (and repeat it). Wrong. The voice tells you they have no subscriber at an address with that number. (If they had, this person would have gotten an extra paper.)

Now I have to start up my computer to report the missing paper on their web site. After finding the right page I have to log in. In my case this means creating a user account for which I will have to look up my subscription number first. I am asked to login so that the paper can provide ME, the subscriber, with “maximum service” it says but it feels like the other way around. I won’t get a paper today so I give up and go eat breakfast.

My point being: the Volkskrant probably means well but if they can’t spring for a call center employee on Saturdays let an answering machine tell me so and don’t waste my time.