There is scientific evidence that shows, for example, that 8 items on a menu is less acceptable to humans than 7. If you choose to ignore the evidence, e.g. by inserting 18 items in the "Table" menu of your word processing package, you risk alienating your user base. That doesn't mean they'll not use your package, it means they'll not enjoy using it and moan to everyone about how awful it is.
You see there is too much subjectivity in user interface (UI) design. I have worked with many talented engineers who think they know what makes a good UI. But they do not. What they produce is often ugly and non-intuitive. And project managers either don't take UI design seriously or inject their own brand of subjective nonsense into the equation. I have seen some hilarious ideas of how menu structures should look.
Most modern computer user interfaces are a mixture of good and bad design. Pecking around my NT desktop at the moment shows the balance tipping toward the seriously awful.
The interface between computer and human is the most complex in any system. People have been killed because of poor user interface design (the Therac 25 disaster). We need to study good and bad design and pay more attention to the evidence of UI studies to ensure that we can make best use of computers in the future.
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There is scientific evidence that shows, for example, that 8 items on a menu is less acceptable to humans than 7. If you choose to ignore the evidence, e.g. by inserting 18 items in the "Table" menu of your word processing package, you risk alienating your user base. That doesn't mean they'll not use your package, it means they'll not enjoy using it and moan to everyone about how awful it is.
You see there is too much subjectivity in user interface (UI) design. I have worked with many talented engineers who think they know what makes a good UI. But they do not. What they produce is often ugly and non-intuitive. And project managers either don't take UI design seriously or inject their own brand of subjective nonsense into the equation. I have seen some hilarious ideas of how menu structures should look.
Most modern computer user interfaces are a mixture of good and bad design. Pecking around my NT desktop at the moment shows the balance tipping toward the seriously awful.
The interface between computer and human is the most complex in any system. People have been killed because of poor user interface design (the Therac 25 disaster). We need to study good and bad design and pay more attention to the evidence of UI studies to ensure that we can make best use of computers in the future.