[IxDA Discuss] Complexity, learnability, efficiency... (WAS: Common design mista kes?)

[Cindy Lu]

I agree that we should keep our mind open for any new designs and
watch how users react.

The design we have behaves like the combination of dialog box and
dropdown - if you click the checkbox label, it behaves like a dropdown
(the dropdown menu is closed); if you check the check box, it behaves
like a dialog box(you need to click OK or Cancel).

- Cindy

> -Yes, it was complex. But new users, after their initial confusion, quickly
> got the hang of it.
> -It was efficient. Installed base users had mastered the control, and relied
> on it to speed up frequent operations. (To set context, users are typically
> working within the product for 2-10 hours per work week.)
>
> As hideous as it seemed at first, we had to admit that the design worked. It
> made the appropriate tradeoff between learnability (a bit low) and
> efficiency (way high).
>
> Just thought I'd share.
>
>
> Paul
>
>
> --
> Paul Sherman
> Director, User-Centered Design
> Sage Software
>