Conceptual models are also associated with the priority of recognition over memorization. This is also one of the heuristics. For example, in a car, all functions are visible and understandable. They correspond to how the driver imagines the car. If the user forgets something, he only needs to look at the button to understand how and what to do. D. Norman gives the example of a car seat height and position regulator, made in the shape of the seat itself. The connection between the location of the button and its function makes it much easier to find. As a result, there is practically nothing to remember.
Restrictions
Limitations are similar in meaning to anti-possibilities, which we whatsapp australia described in the first point. Sometimes the user simply physically cannot do something in the interface or with the thing. Sometimes in devices this is roughly called "foolproofing". But this makes the user's life easier - he is protected from error and relieved of the need to read a ton of instructions.
Limitations can be different. For example, physical limitations. In children's construction toys for the little ones, all the parts and holes for them are designed in such a way that they can only be related in one way. It's the same with household appliances. Physical limitations do not require knowledge from us, they are simply impossible.
Semantic constraints. They are based on the situation and experience. When assembling a cabinet, we understand that a smooth or colored surface will be external, and a less bright or smooth one will be internal.
Cultural constraints. These are cultural codes that exist in a certain country, community, group. For example, you may have seen how large brands localize their advertising for different countries. The actors' style of clothing will change, sometimes their nationality or characteristic signs of religion, the space they are in, some phrases may change. Cultural constraints can be both positive and barrier-creating. If in one country the doors of a train carriage open automatically, and in another - by pressing a button, then a traveler from the first country risks simply being left on the platform and not going anywhere, traveling in the second.
Logical constraints. There are intersections with projection here. For example, if we see three lamps and three switches in a row, we consider that the left switch corresponds to the left lamp, the right one to the right, etc. If we assemble furniture, we know that usually all connecting elements are inside, etc.
7 Ways to Make UX Design Simple
Things are made for people to use. Design is still for the consumer. Even if engineers think they have designed everything perfectly from a logical and 100-page instruction standpoint, people will still stick a knife in a toaster and write down the safe code in a phone book. You just have to take this into account and design with the simple and imperfect users in mind.
Don Norman in his book “The Design of Everyday Things”, in which he described all the principles of good design, at the end gives 7 more general ways to make design simple .
1. Use both external information and internal knowledge.
Beginners and experienced users will handle your product differently – some have experience, while others need detailed instructions. Use logical and other constraints, but do not turn the interface into a dangerous and closed zone. Allow users to make mistakes and correct their mistakes.
2. Simplify the task structure.
It is important not to overload people's memory, to break large forms into steps, to show what the upcoming user path consists of, if it is going to be long.
3. Make design visual: Eliminate the gaps between assessment and implementation.
This tip is about the system status and feedback. If you are filling out a complex form, you will make far fewer mistakes and fill it out faster if it tells you what data is required, and if the wrong format simply won't let you enter it.
4. Use correct correspondences.
Example: a joystick - where you tilt it, that's where the object we control moves. This also includes success screens with green checkboxes, not red or yellow. Because it is green that has already (for our culture) become a familiar symbol of a successful operation.
Use limiters, both natural and artificial.
Make the design allow for mistakes.
When all else fails, set standards.
Here we again combine Norman's principles and Nielsen's heuristics. Users spend most of their time on other sites, not yours. Take this into account and use behavior patterns - place the logo on the left, contacts on the right top and do not reinvent the wheel where it has long been