User Experience What I’ve learned over the past couple of years.

What Have I Done? Views Panels Nodequeue Advanced Help User Titles Delicious Node access Arbitrator Paging DHTML Menu Taxonomy Redirect Taxonomy Lineage Forum Access ACL LiveJournal Crossposter Dashboard Masquerade Update Status D6 Theme System

Views

Panels

Nodequeue

Advanced Help

User Titles

Delicious

Node access Arbitrator

Paging

DHTML Menu

Taxonomy Redirect

Taxonomy Lineage

Forum Access

ACL

LiveJournal Crossposter

Dashboard

Masquerade

Update Status

D6 Theme System

Makes Kittens Cry

Just Makes Me Cry

Developers bad at UI? Sorry, I don’t buy it. Modular systems have trouble with Big Picture. Lack of time. Good UI is a lot of work. Tools not there / available. Browsers have limited, rigid capabilities. Sometimes UI just isn’t the priority. Developers tend to be focused on functionality. Developers often only focus on a single user target.

Sorry, I don’t buy it.

Modular systems have trouble with Big Picture.

Lack of time.

Good UI is a lot of work.

Tools not there / available.

Browsers have limited, rigid capabilities.

Sometimes UI just isn’t the priority.

Developers tend to be focused on functionality.

Developers often only focus on a single user target.

Who is the actor? Site Builder First time site builder Experienced site builder Site Administrator Site User

Site Builder

First time site builder

Experienced site builder

Site Administrator

Site User

Site Builder CCK, Views, Panels, Block, Menu, Theming First experience with Drupal Less important once a site is up and running Knowledge level varied The more accessible Drupal gets, the less knowledge the average site builder has.

CCK, Views, Panels, Block, Menu, Theming

First experience with Drupal

Less important once a site is up and running

Knowledge level varied

The more accessible Drupal gets, the less knowledge the average site builder has.

Site Administrator Content organization, User Management, Complex content creation Very important for long term sites! Administrators are much less knowledgable than Builders Very important to find content Very important to summarize activity

Content organization, User Management, Complex content creation

Very important for long term sites!

Administrators are much less knowledgable than Builders

Very important to find content

Very important to summarize activity

Site User Content consumption, simple content creation, such as forums, blog posts, etc. Generally more focused on consuming information than creating it. This is more the focus of the overall site design, layout and navigation tree.

Content consumption, simple content creation, such as forums, blog posts, etc.

Generally more focused on consuming information than creating it.

This is more the focus of the overall site design, layout and navigation tree.

Focus Currently, we focus on the site builder , and let the builder focus on the site user. Does the site administrator get shafted here? Focus on the new site builder can steal functionality from the experienced site builder. Conversely, focus on the experienced site builder can confuse the new site builder.

Currently, we focus on the site builder , and let the builder focus on the site user.

Does the site administrator get shafted here?

Focus on the new site builder can steal functionality from the experienced site builder.

Conversely, focus on the experienced site builder can confuse the new site builder.

Process of Using a UI See it Experiment with it Do something with it

See it

Experiment with it

Do something with it

Seeing is Understanding Organization Matters!!! The most important pieces of the UI should draw the eye Logical progression to next most important piece Grouping similar or related items helps build a memory map Build on associations

Organization Matters!!!

The most important pieces of the UI should draw the eye

Logical progression to next most important piece

Grouping similar or related items helps build a memory map

Build on associations

Learned from a Remote Control

Information Accessibility Windows method Hide everything Unix method Optimize for speed Difficult to learn Expert mode This is a sign of failure, up front Not too much Not too little Easily find more – Don’t hide, prioritize Provide feedback after operations

Windows method

Hide everything

Unix method

Optimize for speed

Difficult to learn

Expert mode

This is a sign of failure, up front

Not too much

Not too little

Easily find more – Don’t hide, prioritize

Provide feedback after operations

Use Existing Assumptions Links to Administer a Thing near a Thing Train the user. Let the user know this. Use digestible bites – control the stream of information. Show the important stuff up front. Create paths to related information. There does not have to be just one way to get somewhere! If you re-use a pattern, users will learn this and your life becomes easier.

Links to Administer a Thing near a Thing

Train the user. Let the user know this.

Use digestible bites – control the stream of information.

Show the important stuff up front. Create paths to related information.

There does not have to be just one way to get somewhere!

If you re-use a pattern, users will learn this and your life becomes easier.

Pitfalls to Avoid Put everything on just one form. Yes this is hard to avoid. Forms that don’t show their results. Preview!!! Browsers are weak with unsaved form data; don’t make the user leave the page unless you’re prepared.

Put everything on just one form. Yes this is hard to avoid.

Forms that don’t show their results. Preview!!!

Browsers are weak with unsaved form data; don’t make the user leave the page unless you’re prepared.

Conclusion Know who the actors are and cater to them. Understand how people see an interface and design visually. Strive to keep the information accessible. Take advantage of existing assumptions.

Know who the actors are and cater to them.

Understand how people see an interface and design visually.

Strive to keep the information accessible.

Take advantage of existing assumptions.