The document discusses some of the problems with common web design frameworks and patterns. It argues that frameworks often impose assumptions that do not match users' actual psychology. It also discusses how language and terminology can limit participation and interaction. The document advocates designing for how people actually behave rather than assumed rational behaviors. It suggests using cognitive biases to gradually engage users and encourage learning through exploration and gradual introduction of features.

1. Understanding
Uncertainty
AK Webdesign Meetup . November 2008
Mark Rickerby
http://maetl.coretxt.net.nz/understanding-uncertainty

2. The Cargo Cult
What if all websites had the same audience, goals
and requirements?
There would be a common pattern for signups
and entering a username and password to log in
Oh...

3. The Problem with Frameworks
“Ronco Spray-on Usability” - John Gruber
When technology dictates, the design cannot
adapt to the actual psychology of the audience
It's not always admitted that software reuse
propagates design assumptions along with the
code

4. The Problem with Frameworks
Personalized interaction and authentication are
different things
Justification for many CMS products is “not
reinventing the wheel”
Invariably, you ask for the wheels and they give
you the whole damn vehicle

5. Linguistic Relativity
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis:
“different languages yield different
patterns of thought”
Each language is an agreement about how the
world works
A more extreme interpretation:
“reality is determined by language”

6. Limiting Language?
The term user is ubiquitous throughout the
webdesign community
Utilitarian implication that someone is using a
system as a tool to perform a physical task
But mainly, it's people who are communicating

7. Limiting Participation?

8. How We Don’t Think
Normal people don’t have access to the geek
vocabulary
Many designers and developers think that a
signup form or a login box is “self-explanatory”
Is that really the case?

9. How We Don’t Think
These “self-explanatory” patterns actually yield
subtle differences between each implementation
“Do I enter my username or email address?”
“I forgot my password”
“I signed up and it worked but I can't log in”

10. Anti-social Impulses
Designers, developers, and business owners are
often obsessed with control without realizing it
People don't care about your “benefits of
registration”, you are wasting their time and
getting in their way
“Not another password I can't remember for
another site I don't care about”

11. The Ni-chan Paradox
Topix.net research:
“Registration keeps out
good posters and attracts
trolls”
http://blog.topix.com/archives/000106.html

12. The Ni-chan Paradox
Sociological side effects:
“People with lives will tend to ignore forums with a
registration process”
“Anonymity counters vanity”
“If someone is interested in destroying a forum, a
registration process only adds to the excitement”

13. Cognitive Effects
“A cognitive bias is a person's
tendency to make errors in
judgment based on cognitive
factors”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases
How people really think

14. Cognitive Effects
Common examples:
- Losses loom larger than gains
- Not invented here
- The “I knew it all along” effect
Human decision making is seldom rational
Fear and uncertainty drive most human
interaction – online is no exception

15. What Does This Mean?
Design for how people actually behave
Use these cognitive biases to your advantage
forget “benefits”; instead, let people start
something, then threaten to take it away!

16. Gradual Engagement
Make everything public by default
Treat people differently, depending on how long
they have been using the site for

17. Gradual Engagement
Use “social” features to teach people step by
step how an application works
stackoverflow.com
Badge system helps
identify how to use the
range of features
of the site

18. Learning By Doing
Game designers understand this better than web
designers
You learn a game by exploring and testing the
limits

19. Learning By Doing
Games teach you the skills you need as you
move through each level

20. Websites Can Learn Too
Even if you use the common signup pattern, it
doesn't have to feel like you are:
huffduffer.com/signup/

21. Thank You
Use your design and development powers
wisely!
http://maetl.coretxt.net.nz/understanding-uncertainty