

"Push me. Wait... you can't" -- Designing task flow for everyday things - Terretta
http://johnnyholland.org/2010/04/02/perceived-affordances-and-designing-for-task-flow/

======
pixelbath
Clicking the thumbnailed images did not reveal more detail, and merely popped
the thumbnail itself into a Lightbox-like viewer.

I found this amusing in an article condemning perceived affordances.

------
oostevo
This was an excellent article.

I've dabbled in this field in my job, but I don't have any real training, so
I've had to teach myself.

The classic text in this field is _The Design of Everyday Things_, by Donald
Norman.[1] Also very useful is _Interaction Design_.[2] The first is a very
quick read (it's only about 200 pages, and not very technical), while the
second is a textbook intended for use in university courses on HCI.

I've found both very valuable in trying to figure out how users approach
things without any formal cognitive science or HCI training.

[1] [http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-
Norman/d...](http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-
Norman/dp/0465067107) [2] [http://www.amazon.com/Interaction-Design-Beyond-
Human-Comput...](http://www.amazon.com/Interaction-Design-Beyond-Human-
Computer/dp/0470018666)

------
lotharbot
I love the concept of "affordances" (that is, stuff you can do), and with it,
"perceived affordances" (stuff you think you can do).

One of the major challenges of product design is figuring out how to teach
users what actions are available to them. Designing the UI in a clear and
consistent way (obviously clickable buttons, etc.) helps users understand
which simple actions are available. What about teaching more complex actions?

Documentation (including tutorials) is one way. Listing possibilities either
at startup or when a process is loading (say, while the ATM is verifying you
can withdraw money) is another. Many video games use awards -- you're
introduced to the awards list by accomplishing something simple (logging in
for the first time, shooting your first zombie) and can then read over the
list to see other possibilities from the most basic to the most advanced.

I'm curious to see if there are other common ways to teach users about their
"affordances".

~~~
pixelbath
Here are some examples from Jakob Nielsen concerning perceived affordances on
the web (or applications in general):
<http://www.useit.com/alertbox/application-mistakes.html>

There's a pretty standard language, I think, for those in hardware design for
interaction. Maybe it's never been documented (that would be an interesting
project). I'd say things like "bevels surrounding text" is a fairly standard
"I'm a button; please press me" concept. I think after that point, though, it
rapidly deteriorates.

Obviously, a button sitting over a linear trench says "I'm a slider," but what
about things like the iPod clickwheel? Doesn't seem like a standard
interaction, but it was immediately graspable and usable by a huge majority of
the population.

Interesting stuff, if you're willing to dive into it.

