Module 7 Flashcards
(18 cards)
In terms of hierarchy, it is important to signal:
- what hierarchies are present
- which navigation elements are part of the same hierarchy
- where the user currently is on each hierarchy
Web Navigation Conventions
- Site ID at the top
- Utilities at the top
- Sections
- “You are here” indicator
- Page name
- Local navigation (things at the current level)
- Footer navigation
Persistent Navigation
Set of navigation elements that appears on every page of a site
Tabs
Like tab dividers in binders
Partition info into sections
Breadcrumbs
Show you where you are; show you path from Home Page to where you are now
Makes it easy to move back up to higher levels
Progressive Disclosure
“Details on Demand”
Separate info and commands into layers
Present more frequently used info and commands first
Site Design Goals
- Help users understand if it is possible to do what they’d like to do
- Help users find what they’re looking for
- Balance tradeoffs between completing objectives in site design
Information Foraging
Navigating through an info space (patches) to maximize chances of finding prey (info) in minimal time
Information Environment
Information patches connected by traversable links
Represented as a topology
Patch
A space in the environment where a user is located (e.g. page, dialog)
Link
Connection between patch offered by the information environment
Cues
Information features associated with outgoing links from patch
Scent
User interprets cues on links by likelihood they will reach prey
Metaphor
Using existing mental models from the real world
Advantages:
- Leverages understanding of familiar objects and their functions
- Provides intuitive understanding of possible affordances and eases mapping tasks to actions
Disadvantages:
- Tyranny of Metaphor
- Adds useless overhead
- Wastes visual bandwidth
Tyranny of Metaphor
Ties interactions closely to workings of physical world
Idiom
A consistent mental model of how something works
Might have originated in the real world, but thought of in terms of mental model of UI interactions
Ordering User Actions
- Task structure
- Separate long tasks into sequences
- Design for flexibility & efficiency
- Keep users in control
- Orchestration & interaction flow
- Anticipate likely next actions
Interaction Flow
The next thing the interface wants to do is exactly what the user expects
