

How to make a minimalist user interface design intuitive - whitegloveapps
http://www.whitegloveapps.com/2010/07/18/intuitive-minimalist-user-interface-design/

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geocar
The reason fans go 0,3,2,1 is so that the motor receives full power when it is
starting up, and thus gets to the desired speed faster.

Equipping them with a microchip to provide intuitive behavior would add cost,
leading to less overall satisfaction, and wiring the panel "correctly" would
make the fan take longer to do its job leading to less overall satisfaction.

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whitegloveapps
Thanks for the mechanical expertise! I guess this is an example of how virtual
systems have less limitations than mechanical systems, so virtual-system
interfaces can be more intuitive.

Can you explain further why "wiring the panel 'correctly' would make the fan
take longer to do its job?" Would the fan take longer to get up to speed?

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geocar
Actually, it's an example of when it's wise to sacrifice intuitiveness for an
economic benefit. I don't see any reason to believe that "virtual" systems are
somehow exempt and there is obviously a cost in making something "intuitive".

The answer to your second question is a first-year calculus problem:
Voltage=acceleration to some limit, which you can plot as angles over time
across time and speed. It might be fun to work a protractor and some graph
paper to see how it would differ with more than three settings.

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cmurphycode
I don't know- the Polar monitor sounds pretty unintuitive to me. It could work
well if the non-button actions (such as moving the watch close to the strap)
are communicated effectively and are implemented perfectly, but if not, I can
see a lot of confusion.

I think those two things (communication and implementation) are what makes
Apple's interfaces great. As an example, the iPhone's touch screen is good
enough that it almost always does what you expect- which was huge compared to
other touch screens at the time the phone was introduced. I remember trying
out an LG touch screen in the store, and it felt like using the iPhone screen
through a thin layer of mud. Even if their interface was simple and easy to
use, a few misinterpreted presses would exasperate new users.

As for communicating features, I think Apple's commercials do a good job of
showing how the devices are used. Granted, it's easier to explain interfaces
when they are minimal...

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thwarted
_I don't know- the Polar monitor sounds pretty unintuitive to me. It could
work well if the non-button actions (such as moving the watch close to the
strap) are communicated effectively and are implemented perfectly, but if not,
I can see a lot of confusion._

I find one button interfaces that trade buttons for time to be confusing and
unintuitive. The only way to operate them is by staring at them until they
show the desired action. You can't adjust it without looking at it at all
(which may or may not be desired depending on the use case). If you happen to
miss the target action, you have to wait until the full cycle goes through
again. Sometimes they make it so you have to hold down the button to cycle and
then release when you see the thing you want--if you miss it, you can't just
release and start over, because releasing is going to select the wrong action.
This may not be the definition of unintuitive but it is the definition of
annoying and inconvenient.

I had a pager back in the 90s that was billed as being easy to use because it
only had one button. But it took forever, considering the actual complexity of
pagers, to cycle through all the actions--and pagers only have like three
actions on them anyway.

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whitegloveapps
I agree that one-button interfaces can be frustrating for the reasons you
mention. What makes this one work for me is its anticipation of what you'll
want to do next. For example, the sequences are designed so the most likely
action comes up first. And there are only a few possible actions, so if you
want a less-used one, it's not hard to get to it.

For a more complex device like a pager where there are many options you might
like to do at any given point in the menu structure, I see how just one button
would make the user experience worse.

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jms928
I have the Vornado fan you discuss. I agree that the design of the dial
doesn't make sense, but the fan itself is reliable and high quality. Sometimes
you have to overlook interface issues if they don't affect the overall
usability of the product.

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whitegloveapps
That's true: if you don't have to use the interface that often, a good product
design can make up for it. But if you were turning the fan on & off several
times a day, it'd probably get annoying!

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matthewer
What apps have whitegloveapps made? Didn't see any links on the website.

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whitegloveapps
Thanks for asking! We're developing our first app now, a shopping app for
smartphones. We'll post about it on our blog and HackerNews when it comes out.

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matthewer
Cool! Looking forward to checking it out.

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whitegloveapps
Awesome! Please leave your email address on any page on
<http://www.whitegloveapps.com>, or email me at Jeremy (at) WhiteGloveApps
(dot) com, and I'll keep you updated with our monthly newsletters.

