the new era of (non-) discoverability

Nothing you can see that isn't shown...The Beatles“All You Need is Love”

Tap to Launch

Press and Hold to Move or Delete

Drag Icon Onto Another Icon to Make Folder

Slide for Next/Previous/Search Screen

Double-Click to Reveal Active Apps

Return to Home or Stop Moving Mode

Press and Hold for Voice (Siri)

Turn off screen

Screen ShotTake Screen Shot

Affordances?

NEIN!

Interaction design...can be thought of in part as providing AFFORDANCES so that the features and functionality of a product can be discovered and correctly used.

Dan SafferDesigning for Interaction (2009)

WTF?

The New Era of (Non) Discoverability Dan Saffer@odannyboy

DISCOVERABILITY is the ability to detect a feature by its AFFORDANCES or VISUAL CUES.

DISCOVERABILITY

Object with Affordanceand Label

Object with Label

Object without Affordanceor Label

Label Only

Nothing

Button

Mainframe Command Line GUI Post-PC

DISCOVERABILITY

Physical Controls

Keyboard

Mouse and Stylus

Touch

Gesture

Voice

The more important the task, the more DISCOVERABLE it should be.

The Top Three kinds of features that should be DISCOVERABLE (via Scott Berkun):

1.Things most people do, most often.

2. Things most people do, somewhat often.

3. Things some people do, most often.

HOWEVER: In almost any UI, not everything is going to be DISCOVERABLE. Not. Going. To. Happen.

Why ever hide ANYTHING?

1. Screen Real Estate2. Emphasis3. Aesthetics

Operational Simplicity v. Perceived Simplicity

PROGRESSIVE DISCLOSURE

More DISCOVERABLE = More INTUITIVE ?

NEIN!

DISCOVERABLE is what can be FOUND. INTUITIVE is what can be LEARNED.

If a control isn’t DISCOVERABLE, it should at least be LEARNABLE.

Mainframe Command Line GUI Post-PC

Discoverability Expected Ease of Learning

Mainframe Command Line GUI Post-PC

Discoverability Expectation of Ease Learnability

As DISCOVERABILITY declines, the ability to LEARN how a product works should rise to accommodate for it.

The CELLO PRINCIPLE

A LEARNABLE UI is one where users can make a MENTAL MODEL of it easily.

A LEARNABLE UI is also one where interactions build on one another.

The RULES are understood and logically applied across the system.

How do you make non-discoverable UIs LEARNABLE?

Coach Marks?

NEIN!

NO ONE wants an owners’ manual for a mobile app.

If [an app] needs to be explained, then it’s probably broken.

Khoi Vinh

Users need INFORMATION to make decisions: information about what they can do.

Without affordances or labels, users only have their memories to rely on.

Without information, users are left to their own methods:

1. Not doing it2. Work arounds3. Looking for help4. TRYING RANDOM SHIT

The penalty for experimenting should be NONE.

If (Expectation != Outcome) {

Learning;

}

Make controls for low-frequency tasks GUESSABLE.

NEVER make an essential task gesture- or voice only...unless it is rapidly LEARNABLE.

For high-priority tasks: use gestures and voice as shortcuts, while providing visible controls to do the same thing.

TWO-PLY PRODUCTS:

DISCOVERABLE

LEARNABLE

Visible controls for high-priority tasks

Gestural/voice shortcuts for high-priority tasks, guessable controls for low-priority tasks

Come for the DISCOVERABLE, stay for the LEARNABLE.

DANKE. THANKS.

dan@odannyboy.com

@odannyboy on twitter