| October 1998 Archived at Pineapplesoft |  | |||
 | ||||
|
The Pineapplesoft Link newsletter covered a wide range of technical topics, see the archived issues. The newsletter was first emailed in 1998. In 2001 Benoît discontinued it in favour of professional writing for magazines. The “October 1998” page was archived in 2003 to preserve the original content of Octobre 1998. | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| | Home | Contact | Site map | Writings | Open source software | | ||||
|
Welcome to the tenth issue of Pineapplesoft Link. You received the previous newsletter as I was leaving for two weeks of vacation in Scotland with my girlfriend. I would encourage you to spend a few days there: healthy walks and nice, simple but tasty, cooking. We fell in love with the beauty of the country. As you can see this month issue of Pineapplesoft Link is late. I am sorry for the delay which is partly due to the holiday period. In this issue, I'd like to cover an important but often overlooked topic: user interface for web applications. Please send me your comments, questions or suggestions to [address removed, the newsletter is no longer published thank you for your support]. Pineapplesoft Link, October 98: More organizations rightfully view their Web site not only as a marketing product but as an extension of their in-house computer system. Indeed Web sites increasingly offer applications where customers or providers can log to shop, check the status of an order, do banking, apply for a grant, fill in tax forms, etc. The same services that exist on the Internet, have also been developed internally, in what is known as Intranet. Obviously Intranet carry company internal applications such as room reservation (a favorite with many organizations), stock level control, document management, etc. Web Development Platform The net result is that, on the Internet or on an Intranet, the Web has emerged as a respectable development platform, just like Windows. However the Web has also acquired a reputation for slow, difficult to use applications. Slowness is due to large graphics, Java applets or ActiveX components. Furthermore many sites offer catchy but cryptic interfaces: all the nice graphics invite the users to click somewhere... if they could only find where! Back to Basics Every so often new media appear for computer applications: from the 3270 IBM terminal, we have evolved to DOS text-based, Macintosh or Windows graphical user interfaces, and now the Internet. Each evolution is characterized by a period of wild creativity where developers try many new options before agreeing on a common set of rules. Surprisingly enough there's a core of sound principles that haven't changed a lot since IBM terminals. Yet it seems that with every new interface we have to painfully rediscover these. This article would like to save you the effort. I've studied my work building easy-to-use applications and came down with a few timeless rules (or core principles) that were true yesterday and are still today. I have illustrated them with Internet examples. If you are a web developer, these rules should help you build better web sites. If you are buying web sites or approving them, these rules should help you decide whether the result is acceptable or not. Know Your User This is really the most important rule. Depending on their background, users have different expectations and are more or less familiar with the Internet. The site must be adapted to its users. If most users are new to the Internet, you want to provide lots of guidance and use simple, clean screens. Conversely experts want shortcuts and are comfortable with more complex but more powerful screens. ZDNet Mail (http://www.zdnetmail.com) is a free mailbox which you can access over the Web. Users typically log several times a day to check whether they have new mail, therefore users want a fast and easy access to their inbox. ZDNet Mail delivers just that: its first screen after logging is the inbox. Design for Error Again a very important rule but too often overlooked on the Internet. It is safe to assume that users will make errors. Furthermore the hypertext nature of the web will amplify these errors (broken links, etc.). Good web sites minimize the risk of error, e.g. by providing lists of information for the user or by properly using defaults. For example, when registering, most sites present a list of countries to choose from. Because it reduces the risk of errors, a list of countries is preferable to a message like "Please make sure you enter your country name correctly." Application Model As they grow accustomed to the site, users will build a mental model of its inner-working. They will use their model to navigate the site and therefore it is important to help them build the right model. Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com) has done a terrific job at it. When you drill down in Yahoo! sections, the title always gives you a clear view of where you are (Computers and Internet:Information and Documentation:Data Formats:SGML). Yahoo! is really exposing its inner-model for the user. Clarity It's important to use clear symbols and commonly understood conventions. Users expect that they can click on underlined text. However many sites underline titles -- greatly confusing users. Other sites play a game known as "find my button." Instead of using clear icons or text for buttons, they use cryptic images (I have found sites which ask you to click on various fruits to select functions!). Remember that a simple textual button "Buy it!" is more readable than most catchy "Buy" icons. Going Further I have only scratched the surface for web site user interface. Indeed, I have audited the user interface of several web sites and the exercise can lead to major redesign of the interface. However I believe that for day-to-day usage, a simple list of core rules is a great starting point. Self-promotion department Despite the holidays, I have published two new articles this month:
About Pineapplesoft Link Pineapplesoft Link is published freely, every month via email. The focus is on Internet applications in its broadest sense: distributed and mobile computing, e-commerce, Java, XML, etc. The articles target people interested or concerned about technology either personally or professionally. This issue of Pineapplesoft Link may be distributed freely for non-commercial purposes as long as attribution (including the URL: www.psol.be) is given. For commercial redistribution, please contact me. Editor: Benoit Marchal Acknowledgements: thanks to Sean McLoughlin MBA for helping me with this issue. Back issues are available at http://www.psol.be/old/1/newsletter/. Although the editor and the publisher have used reasonable endeavors to ensure accuracy of the contents, they assume no responsibility for any error or omission that may appear in the document. Last update: Octobre 1998. |