Go back to: General discussion
[ENG]
Welcome to our fifth lesson! We had four theoretical lessons that talked about the elements that compose the User Experience - so you can, by now, have your own conclusions about its definition. As we move forward in the course, we're presented more practical lessons. These lessons are shorter in theory and broader in activities. This week's assignment will have extra importance as it is directly related to our 6th and 7th lessons.
W5 | Interaction X Experience
In order to provoke thought about the differences and/or intersection points in the Interaction x Experience relation, we recommend link [1]. Wroblewski also has a collection of articles about User Experience diagrams [2]. Hess has a nice blog post with recommendations to new professionals interested in the field of User Experience Design [3].
W5 | Subjective aspects
An article written by Dubberly & Evenson about Service Design talks about the advantages of considering subjective aspects when offering services. This can be expanded to products and virtual environments as well. The link can be accessed thru reference [4]. Another interesting comparison made by Carson puts Walt Disney as the "first User Experience professional", as he directly considered subjective/emotional aspects both on characters he created as well as other elements of his films [5].
W5 | Avoiding user frustration
Nielsen's "Information Architecture Mistakes" shows some of the commom errors made during the user flow development that end up generating user frustration [6]. He also examplifies how to avoid them.
W5 | Activity
Last week we started thinking about how to stimulate and simulate the experience of gift-giving, digitally. Bill, for instance, commented about the importance of unwrapping the gift packages - as this action is directly related to the expectations created by the user (who, consciously or unconsciously, analyzes physical aspects of the package before opening it).
The three weeks we have left in our course will be used to develop a mock-up of how this website for "gift-giving" would work and look like. This is going to be a group activity. Please wait for further instructions during the week. For now, reflect on this question:
"Should metaphors that simulate the real world be used in the digital world?"
W5 | References
[PT]
Bem-vindo(a) a nossa quinta lição! Tivemos quatro semanas de conhecimento teórico sobre os elementos que constituem a Experiência de Usuário - ou seja, agora você já está apto(a) a tirar suas próprias conclusões sobre a definição desta área. Ao avançarmos no curso, teremos a presença de lições menos teóricas e mais práticas. Estas lições são mais curtas e possuem atividades relevantes para as lições 6 e 7.
W5 | Interação X Experiência
Para fomentar o pensamento crítico a respeitos das diferenças e/ou intersecções dos campos de Interação x Experiência, recomendamos esse link [1]. Wroblewski possui também uma coleção de artigos sobre diagramas de Experiência de Usuário [2]. Hess tem um blog com recomendações para iniciantes interessados em seguir a carreira de Design de Experiência de Usuário [3].
W5 | Aspectos subjetivos
Um artigo escrito por Dubberly & Evenson sobre Design de Serviços comenta a respeito das vantagens de considerar aspectos subjetivos ao oferecer-se serviços. Isto pode ser expandido a produtos e ambientes virtuais. O link pode ser acessado na referência [4]. Outra comparação interessante feita por Carson coloca Walt Disney com o "primeiro profissional de Experiência de Usuário", pois ele considerou aspectos subjetivos/emocionais ao desenvolver seus personagens e outros elementos de seus filmes [5].
W5 | Atividade
Semana passada começamos a pensar como estimular e estimular a experiência de trocar presentes, digitalmente. Bill, por exemplo, comentou sobre a importância de desempacotar os presentes - pois essa ação está diretamente relacioana às expectativas criadas pelo usuário (que, conscientemente ou inconscientemente, analisa aspectos físicos do pacote antes de abri-lo).
As três semanas que temos em nosso curso são usadas para desenvolver um mock-up de como este site para "troca de presentes" deve funcionar, assim como seu visual. Esta será uma atividade em grupo. Aguardem instruções durante a semana. Por enquanto, reflita sobre essa prerrogativa:
"Metáforas que simulam o mundo real devem ser usadas no mundo digital?"
W5 | Referências
[1] http://www.uxrevisions.com/user-experience-design/user-experience-vs-use...
[2] http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?156
[3] http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2009/06/30/so-you-wanna-be-a-user-experience...
[4] http://www.dubberly.com/articles/designing_for_service.html
[5] http://thinkvitamin.com/user-science/user-experience/walt-disney-was-the...
[6] http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ia-mistakes.html
S5- Experiencia de Usuario
(20 de Feb a 27 de Feb)
¡Bienvenidos a nuestra quinta lección! Tuvimos cuatro leccions teóricas en las que tratamos los elementos que componen la Experiencia de Usuario - de modo que puede, desde ahora, sacar tus propieas conclusiones acerca de esta definición. A medida que avanzamos en el curso, presentamos más lecciones prácticas. Estas son cortas en teoría pero amplias en actividades. La tarea de esta semana tendrá una importancia extra ya que está directamente relacionada con las sexta y septima lecciones.
S5 | Interacción X Experiencia
En orden a provocar el pensamiento acerca de las diferencias o semejanzas de la relación entre Interacción y Experiencia, recomendamos estos links [1]. Wroblewski también tiene una colección de artículos sobre diagramas acerca de Experiencia de Usuario [2]. Hess tiene un buen blog con recomendaciones para nuevos profesionales en el campo del Diseño de Experiencia de Usuario [3].
S5 | Aspectos subjetivos
En un artículo de Dubberly & Evenson acerca de Diseño de Servicios se citan las ventajas de considerar aspectos subjetivos cuando ofrecemos servicios. Esto puede expandirse a productos y ambientes virtuales de igual manera [4]. Otra comparación interesante pone a Walt Disney como el "primer profesional de Experiencia de Usuario", ya que considera directamente aspectos subjetivos/emocionales en los personajes que creó así como también en los elementos de sus filmes [5].
S5 | Evitando la frustración del usuario
En el artículo "Errores de la Arquitectura de la Información" de Nielse, muestra alguno de los errores más comunes que se realizan en el desarrollo de flujos de usuarios que terminan generando frustración en el usuario [6]. También ejemplifica la manera de evitarlos.
S5 | Actividad
La semana pasada comenzamos a pensar acerca de cómo estimular y simular la experiencia de dar un regalo, digitalmente. Bill, por ejemplo, comentó acerca de la importancia de abrir el paquete de un regalo - esta acción está directamente relacionada con las expectativas creadas por el usuario (quien concientemente o inconcientemente, analiza los aspectos físicos del paquete antes de abrirlo).
Las tres semanas restantes del curso serán utilizadas para desarrollar esquemas acerca de cómo este sitio web para "dar regalos" funcionaría y su estilo. Esta será una activdad grupal. Por favor, espera más instrucciones durante la semana. Por ahora, reflexiona en esta pregunta: "¿Deberían las metáforas que simulan el mundo real ser usadas en el mundo digital?"
S5 | Referencias
[1] http://www.uxrevisions.com/user-experience-design/user-experience-vs-use...
[2] http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?156
[3] http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2009/06/30/so-you-wanna-be-a-user-experience...
[4] http://www.dubberly.com/articles/designing_for_service.html
[5] http://thinkvitamin.com/user-science/user-experience/walt-disney-was-the...
[6] http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ia-mistakes.html
Spreading some UX love for week 5...has everyone seen this little video about UX designers called "ILUVUXDESIGN" on vimeo http://vimeo.com/19131028?
I <3 UX design!
Thanks for sharing Thao! I <3 UX design too! This video is awesome!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I think it depends on the type of metaphor we use, but overall I think it's a good choice because it favors the recognition rather than remember.
We tend to think in visual metaphors such as icons (Recycle Bin, or desktop), when in fact metaphors can be text written, or spoken words, images or even sounds.
Anything that can cause the user to understand something like a relationship with the real world, I think is good.
"Should metaphors that simulate the real world be used in the digital world?"
Only if the metaphor "changes existing conditions into preferred ones", as Herbert Simon said[1]. Take e-mail, for example. If it followed the metaphor of real-world snail mail too much, then:
1. The number of words you could write on a "page" of e-mail would be very limited, and you'd have to "add a page" or something similar, if you were writing a very long message.
2. Some of the e-mail you send could be sent to the wrong person, or even lost entirely (that is, it would be reported as successfully delivered, but somehow never reaches the recipient).
3. The e-mail you send to a friend in a nearby city will be delivered in two hours. The e-mail you send to a friend in another country will be delivered in two weeks.
E-mail became a popular medium not because it behaved exactly like snail mail, but because it took the intended goal (communicating by writing) and made the process of achieving that goal fast and more reliable.
One metaphor I don't appreciate is online catalogs that try to look like paper ones (page curls, page turn animation, etc.) like:
http://www.davidjones.com.au/catalogues-online/babyexpo_w11.html
http://americanragcie.jp/navasana/index.html
In most cases these e-catalogs are extremely large files with layouts that require the user to "zoom in" before they can read the product info. Why not just display the products on well-formatted web pages, add navigational links, and be done with it...instead of requiring users to have a high-speed connection and Flash or Acrobat installed?
So I think that if there's a real-world action that will be converted into a digital one, first we must think about whether it will help or hinder people from reaching their intended goal.
References:
[1] http://www.adb.org/documents/information/knowledge-solutions/design-thin...
I agree with your saying about the online catalogs - and what is even worse is that this concept is now adopted by iPhone and iPad apps who are trying to do the same on a much smaller screen with less hardware resources. I think the lack of imagination when it comes to catalogs and e-commerce products will also translate into the mobile world and the overall UX will suffer from this poor adaptation.
I too agree with what you said about those online catalogs. It always seemed really silly to me for their UX to be designed in such a way. Digital devices/formats are supposed to make things easier to use, not more difficult.
Metaphors are good for describing things that are novel or complex. They are difficult to avoid since we use metaphors in daily language and are surrounded by them (both written and visual). Take the concepts of "desktop", "folders", and "documents" on the computer screen for example. These metaphors and the icons help users understand their digital workspace in relationship to their physical workspace (i.e. You have your "desktop" where your work is laid out, and you use "folders" to organize "documents" that you can file or retrieve). These metaphors were helpful when the personal computer was first introduced to the end-user. Personal computers, such as the desktop computer, gained wide adoption partly due to it being easily understood by the user thanks to the field of human-computer interaction (HCI). HCI is the study, planning, and design of of the interaction between people (users) and computers [1]; so I would say yes, metaphors that simulate real world should be used the digital realm, but they should be used wisely.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93computer_interaction
I agree with Thao & I think the metaphors have the most utility when they form a familiar anchor for a user in a new experience. I, for one appreciate the orientation! Recently I was thinking about how easy it was to adopt "Dropbox" in no small part because of the idea that the files were literally "dropped" for someone else to pick up. Contrast this idea against the vagueness of "FTP" or "Filezilla."
Pauline has a good point that the metaphor can get in the way if we hold on to it too tightly. E-books are another good example. Why would we try to replicate the exact experience of reading a book in a digital context? They obviously aren't the same.
Finding a metaphor that will be understood by a wide audience has to be one of the trickiest parts--15 years ago, who ever thought that the "shopping cart" would dominate e-commerce?
I agree with everything that's been said so far. There are some cases where metaphors should be used, and others where they shouldn't.
I agree especially with Thao's statement that metaphors should be used when introducing something novel. Likening the digital object to a real-world one that is more familiar to the user will help him better understand the digital object. I think this is in line with the concept of transfer of learning. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_of_learning
However, in cases where a certain feature is already well known, using real world metaphors can just muddle the user. I don't remember the source, but I read about a certain website whose home page looked like a receptionist center. There was an image of a woman behind a receptionist desk. The desk had several items on the desk that could be clicked on. The web had already been around for a while. "Typical" corporate websites were already widespread. For some reason, the company decided that it was still necessary to have a website look like a virtual receptionist center, where you had to click on the receptionist if you wanted to talk to someone, things like that. It was obviously really confusing. The metaphor didn't help at all.
I like applications that use real world metaphors but aren't limited to them. For example, when I make Google Voice calls using Google Talk, the numerical keypad that displays is just like a cellphone's. But I don't have to use it -- I can just type in the # I'm calling using my keyboard or type someone's name to access my Contact List data. Using real world metaphors to help foster familiarity is a good step, but it's also important to understand the constraints governing these metaphors and provide other options that could make the digital version easier to use. A similar example is the calculator application, which looks a lot like a regular calculator, but you can type in numbers using your keyboard.
I think there are some metaphors that are:
a) effective, such as the Folders, Recycle Bin metaphors
b) unnecessary, but harmless. For example, I think page turn animations in e-books aren't that bad. :P Sometimes little features like that contribute to the look and feel of an application, and as long as it's not taking too much time or too much memory, I'm fine with it
c) unnecessary and harmful. Prime example would be the example I listed above regarding the receptionist center home page
I agree that metaphors that simulate the real world should be used in the digital world, but as Pauline mentioned, they should be used only in cases where they help to change existing conditions into preferred ones. That is, if they make a digital product easier to use, understand, and further enriches the experience of using the product. But as with the example that Mela cited about a website looking like a receptionist center, that experience may be too rich or over designed, thus resulting in the user being too confused and not want to use that product.
When we're designing digital products there needs to be balance between familiarity and utility/usefulness/usability when using metaphors that simulate the real world.
"Should metaphors that simulate the real world be used in the digital world?"
I am totally indecisive on this one. I go along with Mela "I like applications that use real world metaphors but aren't limited to them."
I still like the analog (type) stuff but also can get excited when there is some entertainment envolved when using controlls.
To come to an end I think we tend to mix up real world and our digital world up to that point that we can't prevent it to enrich our expressions and daily interactions (digitally or verbally) with metaphors of both realities.
Hope I didn't miss the point. Hehe
Creo que si, ver perilla o un control en una puerta estimula a pulsarlo. Ver un botón estimula a pulsarlo. Aun cuando hay metáforas que no son tan obvias creo que el uso de cosas que utilizamos en la vida real ayuda.
Lo que debe cuidarse es que sean intuitivas o incluir llamadas de atención que las hagan obvias. Un teléfono, una papelera, las marcas de chequeado o sin chequear son objetos comunes que pueden utilizarse.
El contexto es esencial debemos tener cuidado que comer o beber algo no sea lo que hay que hacer en una página de venenos.
Debemos ademas ser consistentes con el tipo de soluciones o activaciones que damos a nuestras interfaces.