> “…uncomfortable: the more integrated a tool becomes, the harder it is for people to form a mental model.”
Some of this sounds like reinventing the wheel. This conclusion, for example seems obvious, other than the uncomfortable part, which is what users might use to describe their experience with an unfamiliar model and no clues from the software. How is this insight different than, say, how a programmer feels about an unfamiliar API or custom classes?
If there is a design to the software then some explanation might be needed to give users the keystone idea. After that I would argue it’s UI and UX design working to communicate to the user what is possible, and how you go about doing it.
Speaks to me same as, programmers rely heavily on documentation and pattern (not anti-pattern. lol…people rely heavily on words and syntax to communicate).
The story of the 1990s web with the introduction of Macromedia Flash, saw a world of fantastical UIs. Some were brilliant, some were obvious, others were inscrutable puzzles. The backlash with Web 2.0 washed all that away, and it all became _familiar UI metaphors (tabs, …)_.
Knowing what I know today, I wonder if the key to an advanced workflow isn’t a hybrid of scripting and UI. Most great ideas arrive ahead of their time.
Some of this sounds like reinventing the wheel. This conclusion, for example seems obvious, other than the uncomfortable part, which is what users might use to describe their experience with an unfamiliar model and no clues from the software. How is this insight different than, say, how a programmer feels about an unfamiliar API or custom classes?
If there is a design to the software then some explanation might be needed to give users the keystone idea. After that I would argue it’s UI and UX design working to communicate to the user what is possible, and how you go about doing it.
With that in mind, this conclusion:
> “People rely heavily on familiar UI metaphors (tabs, inboxes, folders).”
Speaks to me same as, programmers rely heavily on documentation and pattern (not anti-pattern. lol…people rely heavily on words and syntax to communicate).
The story of the 1990s web with the introduction of Macromedia Flash, saw a world of fantastical UIs. Some were brilliant, some were obvious, others were inscrutable puzzles. The backlash with Web 2.0 washed all that away, and it all became _familiar UI metaphors (tabs, …)_.
Knowing what I know today, I wonder if the key to an advanced workflow isn’t a hybrid of scripting and UI. Most great ideas arrive ahead of their time.