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Principles for mouseovers

1. Display control symbols unless those symbols are shown repeatedly, are memorable, and are redundantly coded in the constantly-visible objects they adorn.

2. Show all information necessary to reach a decision at once; do not expect the user to “scrub” large areas of the screen to gain sufficient context.

3. Do not require the user to play “hide and seek.” You may hide secondary details of an object, but not primary information. Do not hide necessary, but “cluttery” information, such as titles, unless the icon is unique and memorable.

4. When “lighting up” individual controls with mouseover, do not do so until the user is in position to click that control.

Some have criticized the new gumdrop window controls because the symbols x, +, and - for close, minimize, and maximize can only be seen when you mouse over the controls. Let’s look at how the gumdrops do:

Once you’ve used the gumdrops for more than a couple minutes, you will intuit the meanings of the colors, and the symbols will no longer be necessary. (Those who are severely color blind will have to memorize the buttons’ positions; since those positions are stable, a minor burden.)

When the mouse pointer moves over any one of the objects, the symbols appear in all three objects, offering full context.

It is not clear from the demo whether or not you can click as soon as the controls “light up.” Since the whole group lights up, rule 4 does not strictly apply. Nevertheless, in this case, I would ensure that the clickable region of the buttons matches the “light-up zone.”

Mouseovers increase speed and reduce error, but they can also teach. Apple has made the grayed-out gumdrops in the back windows light up when you mouse over them, enabling you to close or otherwise change a back window without having to first bring it forward. (You could do this in the old system I’m told, but few people, including myself, knew the secret means of doing it.) The roll-over action not only lets people know they are on an active control, it quickly teaches them about a new capability they might never have otherwise realized was possible.

Mouseovers also can harm. When the rules are not followed, usability can be badly compromised. More of this later.

Gumdrops, in depth

Notwithstanding all the praise above, there are problems with the gumdrops as currently embodied.

One objection I've seen raised, I would reject: While the gumdrops do use color coding, the coding is redundant: First controls differ in location and in tone. (The contrasting tones, in fact, were carefully selected just for the sake of the color blind.) Second, once you've seen the symbols and understand how they map to the actions, you will be unlikely to forget which control is connected to which symbol.

At the same time, the coding used is misleading and potentially hazardous. It would appear at first glance that painting the close box red is a good thing, since that warns the user about its potential danger. However, a study done at Apple almost ten years ago found that the user's mouse gravitates toward red objects almost as though they were possessed with magnetism. The study forced us to abandon the idea of making close boxes and the Shut Down option red.



Second, the symbols are apparently inconsistent with the actions. Specifically, we are offered - for dock and + for zoom. However, zoom on Macintosh works both directions. One click makes the window larger and a second click on the same object makes the window small. So, once you've enlarged the window, the symbol for zoom should become a - sign, in keeping with that same symbology on magnifying glasses. However, the minus sign has already found use in the move-to-dock button. So the designers have apparently decided to just ignore the problem and offer a symbol for shrink that, to most of the Western world, can only mean grow. That is tacky design at best and a severer learning and usability problem at worst.

The button sequence is also a problem, in that it clashes badly with both the current layout and with Windows. This will also be a problem.

Another criticism I've seen leveled that I would take exception to is the closeness of the controls. People with experience with Windows know how easy it is to hit the wrong control and accidentally close down the whole application when setting it aside was the goal. Apple has actually provided some pretty decent spacing in these controls, in addition to enlarging their size. I wouldn't expect the kind of error rates from this that people have been predicting, although the original scheme of having "dangerous" on one side of the title bar and "benign" on the other made a lot more sense.


Date: 2015-12-24; view: 651


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