Blog #9

When I hear the words uniformity, consistency, and meaning I begin to think of understandability. In any light understanding an idea or concept is "providing ease of use". If you understand it, you can better operate and navigate the idea or concept. When searching for the best representation of "providing ease of use" and ideas associated with Chapter 7 I decided on the website Umail or more specifically Google's Gmail. I didn't choose this because I visit it several times a day, because I do, but I chose this site because I remember when I had to make the "switch" from Webmail to Umail or Imail and after having bad encounters with Microsoft powered mail in the past I decided it best to choose Gmail. I knew nothing about Gmail or even Google for that matter, just that it was a search engine that I sometimes visited.

As a beginning user it was nice to see that the login screen for Umail was simple, not cluttered, but to the point with only one button to choose from that said "login". It also contained very helpful, easy to navigate, links underneath this button that allowed for additional help if needed. Once you login to the website front and center lies your Inbox where all of your new messages, current messages, and "starred" or saved messages are kept. Up above the Inbox are several tabs that are very easy to understand with no large words or strange terms: "Archive, Report Spam, Delete, Move to, Labels, and More action." These were aligned along the top of the Inbox screen making the consistency even better. On the right hand side of the Inbox is another navigation directory that enables you to switch your main view from your Inbox to your "Starred, Sent Mail, Drafts, or Trash". All links perfectly left-aligned to continue keeping consistency and uniformity. Below this you can create other folders to contain messages to better organize and keep important information close by. I have since done this so I can further organize my Inbox.

Google really provided "ease of use" by creating an email system that was easy to use. There are always going to be additional "features" that you can change like color, style, or content, but they're also not necessary to successfully function your Inbox. I have decided to stray from the extras and complete what is only necessary. I've found Umail has provided "ease of use", uniformity, consistency, and meaning.

Ryan Pickard Blog 9

Chapter 7 discusses many different aspects of designing a useful and learning website. I believe that Wikipedia.com does a pretty good job designing a well learning and meaningful web page. It is easy to read due to the positioning of text and content is very well spaced. This also ties into the theme 4 with the ease of learning.

And on top of everything it is very easy to access what ever you like or want to learn...

Sean Counceller- Blog #9

Chapter 7 talks about designing for uniformity, consistency and meaning. This strongly relates to the 4th god design aspect, "provides for ease of leaning". The reason for this is because if a device is uniform and looks similar the entire time then a user will be able to learn how to use the device very fast.

A good example of this is Apple's website. www.apple.com. The make all of the page layouts very similar and keep the menus in the same spot making it very easy for the user to find what they need.

Blog 9

Good design provides for ease of learning by having a good interface that has the elements disscused in chapter 7. These are uniformity, being consistent, and defining meaning through design. By keeping a very consistent and uniform interface you can help your user how to navigate through your website.

An example of an easy to use website is Cake Wrecks.

The website makes it easy to use by just simply posting the pictures and having the user scroll down to view them. It keeps other links on the side so you can view them as you scroll down.

Blog 9

There are many ways in which chapter 7 builds upon the theme of "ease of learning". Hoekman provides multiple ways in which a user can provide a design that allows the user to mechanically understand how a particualr design works. For example he discusses the use of visual heirachy, proportion, alignment, typography, color, dimension, and many other ways a designer can create an effective application.

First Financial Bank's website incorprates many of these ideas that were conveyed in chapter 7 and theme 4. The website is consistent with its design features. Different pages have the important information that seems to pop off the page. They use text boxes, bold fonts, and other techniques to differentiate the important information on each page.

Blog 9

After researching through some sites that provide consistency and learning, Digg stood out the most. Digg.com is a social news website for the public to learn and share content from anywhere on the Internet. The site does not require much thought for the users and enables them to learn not only about the top news, but also about the most recent news. The more diggs a story has, the higher that story will get to hitting the front page on Digg. This is one of the top bookmarked sites for viewers which includes uniformity throughout the site. The message of chapter 7 relates to Theme 4 and this website because users don't have to try hard to find their news. They are able to navigate easily through the site which is "providing ease for learning".

Megan Resig

Blog 9

My example of a uniform, consistent and meaningful design is mapquest.  I've never used another site on the web to figure out where I'm going because mapquest is that simple.  The five main tabs: maps, directions, yellow pages, local, and gas prices provide findability laid out across the top of the site.  They're organized in a way where the user can come to the site without being a member and  find what he or she needs in a few minutes.  Most people can't use an actual map and find where they are going this easily with this amount of clarity.  It's structured in a way that the user can immediately see the site is fast and easy to use and that's what keeps them coming back.  The site helps me most when I'm unsure of directions and I'm  rushing to get somewhere or when I am planning a trip and need to know gas mileage or even how long the trip will be.  I print out the information and go.

Blog #9

Providing ease of learning is an invaluable part of the design process, and something that Theme 4 tackles in depth. I feel that Chapter 7 provides the means to make learning easy, because Chapter 7 deals with uniformity, consistency and meaning. By providing the user with consistency and uniformity, it allows the user to pick up on core concepts rapidly, since the rules aren't changing. By providing meaning, the user can internalize and fully understand these concepts they are learning.

Youtube is my favorite example of this kind of thought process. Youtube is a complex website with a variety of video and socialization options. Yet there is a uniformity and consistency within the site on almost every single page you visit. Your account options are always in the upper right hand corner, and the ever visible youtube logo is in the upper left. These are always here, regardless of what page you access. Furthermore, the video options are the same for every single video. One only needs to view one video to learn the options and you can go to any video and do the exact same thing. There are also helpful hints and tooltips that one has easy access to incase you get lost. The site is uniform, consistent, and gives the user meaning into their possible options, and that is why youtube is a very easy site to learn and internalize.

Jordan

Blog 9

Chapter 7 is all about helping users find what they need by making important things stand out through color, dimension, and several other characteristics. This speaks to Theme 4 which is all about making your applications easy for users to learn because if important things stand out, users will be able to quickly learn where all of the important stuff is.

The website Good Old Games uses the lessons from chapter 7 to show users what is important when they first land on the site. The homepage shows featured titles in a large box, but also contains a section right next to it, explaining what purpose the website serves. As you navigate through different sections of the website, it maintains a uniform look with the same colors and the navigational bar at the top of the page always being there.

Blog #9

Hoekman discusses many things one can do to make a site appealing and easy to use. In chapter 7, words such as uniformity, consistency, and meaning are used to describe how to achieve a good site. For example, Hoekman says that uniformity allows the user to quickly and easily learn. When interfaces are consistent with past interfaces, users can apply their previously learned knowledge to complete the task easily and quickly.

An example of theme 4 and chapter 7 would be the auction site, EBAY. The thing I notice right off the bat with the home page is its setup. The top and left of the site is devoted to the navigation area; from this part of the page you can navigate to anywhere on the site. The rest of the page is devoted to the actual content. When navigating the site, the only part that really changes is the content. Everything else stay very uniform and consistent. The top of the site stays exactly the same all the time; the side of the site changes but still displays the merchandise options. The site is uniformly white and neutral, making it visually appealing.

Blog 9

Chapter 7 is about designing for uniformity, consistency, and meaning; and these are all necessary for "ease for learning." Designing things with uniformity and consistency makes things easy and look neat.

An example of a website would be "campusfood." This website has lists of restaurants on the main page and all the pages look the same which helps users to use the webiste easily. Just clicking on menu would bring your foods home. The page to pay for the food is very simple also. You can click on cash or credit; if you choose credit, then you just need to add a credit card that you want and use it forever. This site is that easy because it is designed for uniformity, consistency, and meaning.

Jaclyn Duket's Blog #9

This chapter relates to Theme 4 in several ways. The idea of "ease of learning" is reflected through the suggestions in Chapter 7. The design elements that Hoeckman discusses such as visual hierarchy, proportion, alignment, typography, and spatial memory allow the user to automatically understand the importance of information on a page. The user doesn't have to (or hardly has to) learn how to use an application if the information is displayed in these ways that people are already trained to view information. These design elements along with other things discussed in the chapter, such as consistency and utilizing existing patterns, enable to user to learn very minimal new ways of navigating through a page.

Urban Outfitters' website is a good example of a web page that uses Theme four as well as many techniques discussed in Chapter 7. First, the navigation for the different departments is located at the top of the page. This remains consistent as you move through the page, which allows the user to quickly navigate through the different departments without having to think about how. These links are easy to spot and allow the user to find them quickly. Second, the pagination design is consistent with most other popular pages (google.com is discussed in the reading). This is familiar to users so they do not have to move quickly to the next page. Thirdly, the typography is consistent throughout the site for viewing items and purchasing them. Lastly, most of the text and images on the main pages are in black and white or very dull colors. The website uses color to illuminate the current page the viewer is on and the shopping cart. This allows the user to quickly identify where they are navigate quickly to the shopping cart for purchasing.

Blog #9 - Dan Kotowski

Through the implementation of uniformity, consistency, and meaning into an application, the time users spend to learn how to use the application can be decreased greatly. Using uniformity and consistency with different tools and aspects of an application prevent users from spending time learning multiple ways to accomplish similar tasks. Likewise, ensuring that every design change throughout the application assists users with understanding and adapting to these changes.

A prominent example of this concept is the icon set used in what is commonly known as the Standard toolbar. Each instance of the Standard toolbar usually contains icons for the same sets of tasks (New, Open, Save, Print, etc.) and the icon for each task is standardized (New is represented by a blank piece of paper, Save is represented by a floppy disk, and so on). This uniformity exists not only throughout one application, but through most applications available today. As a result, users rarely have to relearn how to make a new document or print their project from application to application.

Blog #9 - Chad Fox

The message of Chapter 7 relates to Theme 4 because if the design tips provided in Chapter 7 are taken into consideration, it can directly result in Theme 4. In other words, a designer can provide for ease of learning (Theme 4) involved with an object by designing that object to be uniform, consistent, and meaningful (Chapter 7).

Facebook is a good example of the blending of Theme 4 and the message of Chapter 7. Facebook is a very complex website with many users, features, and options. Despite this, Facebook is quite easy to learn how to use because of the uniform, consistant, and basic layout of every page. For example, whether you're looking at your profile, homepage, message inbox, or settings page, there is always the same blue bar at the top that allows easy navigation around the site no matter what part of the site a user is on. Not only is this blue bar uniform and consistent, it is meaningful because of the crucial information, links, and features/options it contains. As a result, Facebook has a provided a great ease of learning because no matter how lost a user may get on any page, they can always rely on the blue bar at the top to point them in the right direction.

Week 09 Blog Assignment

Chapter 7 is about designing for uniformity, consistency, and meaning. Because it took me longer than anticipated to get out this assignment, and it’s spring break, I’ll make this easier for you.  

Some of the advice in this chapter sounds to me like one of the seven themes: Theme 4 is “providing for ease of learning.” How does the message of chapter 7 speak to this theme?

Provide an example not used in the book or in class and explain it.

 

Bonus magic point: email spring break photo(s) — on the beach or elsewhere — to Marty (msiegel@indiana.edu) !

Blog 8 - Greg Starr

I think the Wufoo form builder was actually pretty useful.

I think that setting up an account was Poka-yoke. It was clearly laid out so that users can know exactly what kind of account they want to make. Also as soon as I was done creating my account, there was a big useful message that popped up with how to create a new form because i had none.

Wufoo also used Document-modal. After I was done creating a form, I was prevented from going back and changing it around. The only thing i could do was answer the form and submit, or report it for abuse.

Blog #8

First of all, the website is formed really well, and it does a good job preventing it from errors. First poka-yoke device I noticed was in the making form part. Creating an account and logging in part were very easy to follow and no errors would occur. In making a form, I intentionally did not save and pushed other button, and it said "YOU HAVEN'T SAVED YET AND YOU WILL BE ABANDONING CHANGES." I guess it is a part of poka-yoke device. Another thing I noticed is that in making number fields, the website gives a function to limit range and values so that it can only get numbers not characters. Overall I think the website is formed very well, and easy to use. Also it has basic poka-yoke device preventing errors from it.

Blog #8

First, Wufoo uses Poka-yoke devices in its software. One specific example is the setting defaults for the Name field. By default, the field type is set to Name and the type is set to Normal. These settings are likely the most common options users choose when trying to create a Name field. These settings are also provided using a selection box, preventing invalid values from being entered. However, Wufoo does not prevent invalid default values from being entered for fields. For example, I was able to enter $$$-##@-#%#@ as the default phone number for a field. Wufoo allowed this default but gave users an error if this was not changed. Secondly, all options are provided using a modeless interface. There are no popup dialog boxes that prevent changes from being made to the document. Next, the service also uses detailed error messages inline (e.g. required field errors) without refreshing the page. Finally, Wufoo is not forgiving. All deletions, whether they be form fields or forms themselves, are final with no ability to recover.

Ryan Pickard Blog #8

When I first came to the sign up page it asked me for my email address, user name and a password. Well right off the bat I ran into a problem with the user name. I had to type numerous user names just to even make an account. A little screen would pop up and let me know that name has already been taken. This is an example of inline validation when the system is continuously checking the database for user names to make sure no one duplicates that same name.
When I deleted my fields that I had in my settings a screen popped up letting me know that I had no fields in my forms and that I should add one. It explained very well how one might go about adding some fields in.
Also when I logged out an extra screen popped up and gave me two options to either continue logging out or go back to the main screen. Once I pressed log out another screen popped up and let me know that none of my work was saved and to either press ok to leave or cancel to continue.

It took me awhile to become oriented with wufoo or to feel comfortable with it at all but I found a few poka yoke devices such as the first huge box stating..”Holy tabula rasa! …Let’s go make one!”  This makes it very obvious where to start.   I couldn’t figure out how to make a multiple-choice form for the longest time though.  I noticed an application-modal error when trying to navigate away from a form without completing it and I had to confirm to close the page.  This means the software isn’t forgiving because I will have to start over if I accidently navigate away.  Right under Form Manager I read Oh, what men dare do! and I was immediately put off.

Blog #8

Wufoo does well with explaining if there is any error.  The error messages are short and to the point which is a good example of the poka-yoka detection device.  Not only does it show that I have an error, it explains what to next which is a helpful error message. This is user-friendly because I didn't have to think about what to do, the program already gives me options.  The ditched anything modal was incorporated when a user creates the account with a direct step by step process.  They user doesn't have to think about what they have to do on the web next, that information is already given.  This website have forgiving software because the users are able to go back and edit sections rather than information automatically being deleted.  This saves time and allows the user to fix what they've done wrong.  All in all, the site was user-friendly and straight to the point.  There were some minor errors that I would've designed differently but other than that, it was easy.

Megan Resig

Blog 08

The first thing I noticed when creating a form, is that an error is displayed when you attempt to edit a field settings without selecting a field. This is an example of a Poka-yoke device, specifically a detection device. It detects the user's error and prompts them to select a field in order to change its properties.

When you attempt to navigate away from a form, a message is displayed asking if the user is sure they want to navigate away, because it will lose unsaved information. This is an example of what Hoekman describes as redesigning rude behavior. He suggests that the designers implement an undo button instead of making users slow down to deal with these pop-ups. I would say that Hoekman would agree that this is a poor example of ditch anything modal.

Considering this same example, I think the designers did a good job of making the error messages useful. They are not simply irrelevant numbers that a user cannot understand. These messages clearly tell the user what is about to happen, or why they cannot edit something specifically. I think this aspect of the design is successful.

Hoekman discusses the idea of creating forgiving software. He suggests that an application should not allow users to lose a large amount, it of work, without some kind of warning. This website informs the user that their information will be lost if they continue to navigate away from the page. This is a successful error handling technique, but perhaps even an auto save function would help alleviate this problem even more. I did notice that when a user is editing the setting of a form, and they press the little minus sign to delete it, there is not warning displayed. I think this is a problem that should be addressed with either a warning message or an undo button.

This website is a good example of how software can promote good practices. The spell check feature helps users with good practice. A word is nicely underlined in red when the computer does not recognize it. While this will not always mean it is a mistake, it brings the users attention to the fact that it doesn't recognize it, allowing the user to chose the next step (changing it, or ignoring the error).

Overall I think this website has examples of many good error handling strategies. I do think it could be improved with the addition of an undo function and an auto save function.

Blog #8 - Chad Fox

The Wufoo website seems to do a respectable job of error prevention. The sign-up page is easy to use and shows you what fields are required. When invalid information is inputted, the error messages to the user are helpful and inform the user of what error was made and how to correct it. However, I think it would be a good idea for Wufoo to put an example of what a valid email address looks like, as they did where the user is supposed to "pick your Wufoo name/url" and under it is displayed "http://username.wufoo.com". This would help prevent users from inputting invalid e-mail addresses. Furthermore, when an invalid email address is entered, Wufoo simply informs the user that the email address is invalid. So as I said before, it would be helpful to either provide an example on the sign-up page, or to provide an example of a valid email address in the error message to make it more helpful.

With regards to the multiple-choice form, it can be a little confusing at first since there are many options and forms to be filled-in, but Wufoo does a good job at helping the user and trying to prevent errors. The default text in the text fields really helps give the user an idea of what should be put in the specific field and I think greatly helps prevent errors. Additionally, the live/interactive set-up of the multiple choice form is a nice poka-yoke device that eliminates errors and helps users understand exactly what they're doing by immediately showing them a preview of the changes being made. Finally, the question mark icons next to all the options of the form are a great error-prevention device because they provide even further information about the option at hand.

Going into this blog, I had neither heard of Wufoo nor used their site. Thus, I was a little lost at first and needed some direction as to what exactly I should do. As a result of their design and their many techniques used to prevent errors, I was able to understand the site and its options and consequently did not make many mistakes. When mistakes were made by me, both intentionally and unintentionally, their error prevention techniques and messages seemed to well thought out and overall pretty helpful.

Blog 8

In my opinion Wufoo does a good job at handling error prevention.

Poka-Yoke, Wufoo's live preview form alerts you at the beginning that you don't have any fields and adds instructions and an explanation of what the field's purpose is to clear up confusion and to get things rolling for the user. Next to the options tabs to "standard" and "fancy pants" Wufoo has added icons that more easily describe to the user what that tab will do; the "checkboxes" tab shows what the checkbox looks like, this prevents the user from clicking on a tab and realizing it's not the one you want.

Detection Devices, I noticed Wufoo doesn't have a detection for spelling words wrong. I tested this out and there wasn't a feature that detected misspelled words. However it does detect and create an error page- an Application Modal, if you try to save a form with the same name as one that already exists. The error form is nicely written and easy to understand and allows for the user to get back on track by closing out of the form and fixing the error.

Blog #8

To start this form off right I simply followed the steps to create a log in and clicked through the options for my initial form. I then began “adding new fields” to my forms at random, just clicking on each field on the left of my “live preview”. I noticed that once I had clicked all of the “Standard” fields and attempted to click on the “Fancy Pants” an error came up that informed me that I would have to upgrade in order to add any additional fields. I can see that this is a nice use of a poka-yoke prevention device. Before I add any fields that cost money, they inform me that I will need to upgrade my account. All of the choices are very simple to understand with good wording choices and add/edits buttons appear once a field has been clicked on and show up in green “+”s and red “-”s. Wufoo has also added (?) fields that allow for users to get additional information about the actions they’re about to perform. After clicking on “Field Settings” at the top of the page to edit your field information users can click on the (?) beside the first edit box on the left called “Field Label” to find that “A field’s label is the most direct way of telling your user what kind of data should be entered into a particular field.” This small bit of information helps the user from making a mistake of entering wrong information. If the user is unsure of what to add, they can simply click on the (?).

Other strategies used are, error messages are of good, understandable quality by getting right to the point of why you cannot perform your task—no coded messages, inline validation for the account creation by informing me that “ffffgggghhhh” was an “Invalid email address.”, that my “12345” and “1234” “Passwords do not match.”, and that “girl” as my Wufoo name was “…already taken.” This, I feel, is two forms really because it does error report underneath the field if it has been incorrectly filled out, but also because it adds or subtracts a red rectangle around the field that is incorrect or correct. A third strategy is turning errors into opportunities by asking if I want to “export my data” before I delete any chosen field. Lastly, the error message that pops up if the user does not save their form is also application modal because “Not only do they prevent the user form interacting with other parts of a Web application, they also hijack the browser itself by making it impossible to switch pages or tabs or close the browser until the user clicks a button in the alert to close it.”

Blog #8

When setting up your account the page doesn't utilize the inline validation that the book recommends as a way of catching errors quickly. Error messages appear on all the things you did wrong only after you submit the form. When the email address is entered wrong, the error message that pops up below it doesn't tell the user what a proper email address looks like.

The multiple choice form allows the user to create a from with only one button. While this is not a huge error, it is a rather useless form if there is only one button that can be chosen and is chosen from the default settings.

The site does really well with keeping errors from happening by automatically creating defaults for all of the required fields that I saw when creating a form.

The dinosaur at the top of the page next to the log in button is awesome!

Week 08 Blog Assignment

Chapter 6 is about error handling, and Hoekman (we learn in this chapter how to pronounce his name — “hook-man”) describes four strategies: use Poka-yoke devices; ditch anything modal; write helpful error messages; and create forgiving software.

WUFOO is a site that allows "making forms easy + fast + fun." Take a look at the wufoo site (you’ll need to create a login; then look at the multiple choice form) and determine if any of the Chapter 6 error handling techniques are used. If so, please describe. To find errors, make lots of mistakes and see how they’re handled.

I am not an I300 loser!!!!
-Jordan

Blog 7

I am not an I300 Loser!!

Blog #7

I am not a I300 loser!!!

Blog #7

I am not an I300 Loser!

Ryan Pickard Blog 7

I AM NOT A I300 LOSER!!!!!

Blog 7

I am not an I300 loser.

I am not an I300 looooser.

I am not an I300 loser.

Thank you for the easy points Marty!

I am not an I300 loser.