Specifications

7 | USER INTERFACE
DESIGN GUIDE
information about the state of the process and how to cancel the process if that is an option. Nothing is more disconcerting
to users than a “dead” screen that is unresponsive to input. A typical user will tolerate only a few seconds of an unresponsive
interface. It is equally important that the type of feedback you use be appropriate to the task. You can communicate simple
information through button changes or a status bar message; for more complex feedback, you may need to display a
progress control or message box.
Focused Experiences
Narrow the number of choices to the minimum essentials, and focus on making the choices the most valuable tasks available
in the interface. Reducing the number of features in your interface allows for the user to easily access needed tasks and
information rather than being lost in puddle of unnecessary functions, additional features add complexity. Instead, provide a
premium experience in the primary tasks that the interface offers. Make sure that the set of features offered is focused to the
particular task. Many interfaces provide lots of functionality that enable many separate tasks. Make sure that your interface’s
task is clear and that its features focus on performing that task well. Reduce the number of available paths and choices, so
that the next step and available options are always available to users. The balance is often apparent by conducting user
testing with someone other than the designer walking through each task that the interface offers.
Directness
Design your interface so that users can directly manipulate buttons and representations of task information. Whether they
are selecting an object to activate it or navigating to a location, users should see how their actions affect the objects on the
panel. Visible information and choices also reduce the user’s mental workload. Users can recognize a command more easily
than they can recall its syntax.
Familiar metaphors provide a direct and intuitive interface for user tasks. By allowing users to transfer their knowledge and
experience, metaphors make it easier to predict and learn the behaviors of interface-based representations. When using
metaphors, you need not limit a computer-based implementation to its real-world counterpart. For example, unlike its
paper-based counterpart, a folder can be used to organize a variety of objects such as hardware, task functions, and other
folders. The purpose of using metaphor in the interface is to provide a cognitive bridge; the metaphor is not an end in itself.
Metaphors support user recognition rather than recollection. Users remember a meaning associated with a familiar object
more easily than they remember the name of a particular command.