Provide clear feedback:
- Show users the system's current state.
- Tell users how their commands and actions have been interpreted.
- Tell users what's happening.
- If you can, make it less than 2 seconds.
- If it takes 2 - 10 seconds, show a loading spinner.
- If it takes more than 10 seconds, show a progress bar.
Differences are difficult. Human minds crave consistency.
A few common types of inconsistency:
- Different words for the similar (or the same) things.
- Different places or different spacing for similar (or the same) things.
- Similar controls or similar workflow patterns that live in different places in the UI.
- Inconsistent rules for valid input data (without any feedback as to why).
- Inconsistent availability of a thing (without feedback as to why).
The most common problem is an error message that doesn't say why something went wrong and how to fix it.
Defaults can:
- speed things up.
- teach by example.
- direct novice users toward a safe or common outcome.
Pairing icons with a text label has four benefits:
- Increases the size of the target.
- Decreases time to recognise the command, helps users learn the interface.
- Help users visually differentiate between commands.
"Affordance" means what you can do to an object. Signifiers are the visual elements that help you to understand the affordances just by looking at the object.
So small that users miss and click outside the active area.
This design choice reduces context for users by covering up information that they may wish to refer to.
Long strings of letters and digits (such as GUIDs) are completely meaningless to users, but they are often prominently displayed.
Common things are shown in a nav, then "More" or "..." has everything else. This limits discoverability and findability.
Makes it easy to click the wrong button or icon — especially when users are rushing, completing repetitive actions, or have motor difficulties.