User Centered

I love films showing "hackers" entering code by pressing random keys while the input box on screen has no cursor. This is not about one of those films, quite the opposite.

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I had a hard time finding a project link for this, but out of MIT comes this whiteboard/software that demonstrates some interesting UI concepts. Google search on "ASSIST sketch understanding system" to find more information. (I couldn't!)
updated- link: http://rationale.csail.mit.edu/project_assist.shtml

For the pedants...

There is a lot of discussion going around about the revamped, version 2.0 Firefox UI. One thing I noted repeatedly on Asa’s request for feedback was FF users discussing the way active/inactive tabs are shown. The words “washed out” was used more than once in regards to the inactive tabs, here's one quote:

Originally posted by Nick Fagerlund:

Backgrounded tabs are incredibly washed out, and I can't read the text. And yet, it's STILL hard to tell which one is foregrounded, because the black text and saturated icon are the only visible differences. (Black outline? Shadow? It needs something.)

I've always wondered as Nick does, should the default skins have more contrast amongst the tabs? Obviously, the UI needs to visually indicate which tab is active, but there never seems to be much discussion on how that’s done, or to what extent it needs to be differentiated. I believe there’s room for improvement (...and so do many skin designers).


Here’s the existing default Firefox tab setup. It’s got the yellow underline with would draw your eye to it, but I don’t think it’s too much better. Although, at least you can easily read the inactive tabs (a complaint against the new default theme)


Opera on the other hand has easy to read tabs, and the contrast is a little better. Visually, we're trading the "orange stripe" for a darker tab color, a similar approach to how FF2 differentiates. But I’ve also found it confusing because it changes to font/text color on inactive tabs to blue if the tab hasn’t been viewed (since refreshed). Visually, it adds some weight to the tab and, even though it’s inactive, tends to make it stand out a bit more on equal footing with the active tab. Huh? make no sense? ...in the screenshot above, the tab on the left is active, the middle tab is inactive, and the tab on the right is inactive, but has been refreshed in the background... meaning the user hasn't seen the "fresh" version of this page. You can tell this by the different color font used (blue).

Well, the good thing about all this, Firefox or Opera, is that you can change things you don’t like if you have the time, skill and energy. With that in mind, I edited my own skin a while back to increase the contrast (download it -it's the standard skin except the tabs) I use a lot of tabs- always have at least 7-10 tabs open regularly- this skin lets my eye easily select the active tab even in the peripheral of my field of vision. I even throw in some of that "Firefox orange stripe" in the active tab as it makes a nice contrasting color for the blue.

There are of course, many skins that do this already. But well.. I'm a simple man, with simple needs. I like the default skin just fine

[moderator note] I'm not sure if this screenshot of my tabs shows problems with Eddie's skin, or Opera's handling of font sizes, but it is an example of the difficulty we encounter when we design customizable software, but then fail to think through all the possible ways a user will be able to customize. (Two settings that apply: Toolbar font-Tahoma 16pt, Toolbar style-"Images and text below")

VERY interesting proof of concept on the desktop metaphor. Download the huge movie and watch the demo.
Bumptop, Pushing the Desktop Metaphor(slashdot.org)

I say- if you're going to start with the desktop metaphor, go all the way with it like the above does. If you think that's a bad metaphor to start out with in the first place (I've been known to express my opinion on properly choosing metaphors), that's fine too. I guess you could argue either way, still, a very cool demo and fun to watch.

My favorite slashdot quotes:

Originally posted by Bastian:

I think some folks have taken the "desktop" metaphor a wee bit too literally. That or the latest generation of human-computer interface researchers suffer from a profound lack of imagination.

Originally posted by jbarr:

The problem with these kinds of technology demos is that many people view them as an end product, and then write them off without considering how they might fit into a larger environment.

dantesoft- have you heard of this?

The only certainties in life. I’m scared of all of 'em, that’s why I respect 'em....but dang-it, I shouldn’t be scared of my phone.

Here’s the facts:
-We’re forgetful
-no one wants to hear a phone go off in a theater, concert, movie, library, meeting....
-no one wants to be singled out for said action
-Don’t bring it at all? Probably not too reasonable in the days of smart phones and expected "instant access"

What possible way is there to deal with this? Can we? It seriously is a *problem* that we can't cast away by saying "stop being so stupid- remember to turn off your phone" because obviously, that's not happening. Just read this article on what happened in one theater (textually.org), it's crazy! No one wants to be in that situation- NO ONE. The end result is that we are scared of oru technology- that's why I'm so diligent with mine... I'm scared to death that my ringer will make me the social leper in the theater. So what can we do?

My afore mentioned schedule idea:

why can't I tell my phone my schedule and have it do something meaningful as a result- like for instance- automatically set itself to vibrate or silent mode Mon-Friday from 8-5? Of course, you can over ride the setting- but it would be nice if I could tell my phone my class or work schedule up front and then have it switch to a respectible mode. -Cell phone scheduling (PIM/Cellphone Convergence)

update- image included

...a phone with a usable/aware calendar might be able to go into vibrate/silent mode automatically. It would also be nice for (like the Treo) a hard switch to silence the phone. Something you could simply reach into the purse or pocket inconspicuously and silence.

It seems that most phones I've owned over the years have two or three software based switches that let you change the ringer mode. My RAZR has a software and (when closed) you can use the volume switches..

*warning! tangent* those switches! If you have a RAZR, how about the fact that there are three buttons you can use to change the ring tone- the volume up, volume down, and the "smart key" just below it... obvious logic would dictate that you could hit the smart key to activate the ringer change mode, then cycle through the the ringer settings using the volume up/down buttons right? Well, no, it's completely backwards. Either the up/down buttons activate the ringer setting function, and the smart key cycles through. I *still* fumble with that on occasion and now just simply use the software methods to switch... ugh *end tangent*

...anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, in any event the feature I missed most was that some old Nokia phone I had let me hold the "#" key and it would switch to vibrate, and when I held it again, it switched back, but didn't make a noise (I don't think). The Treo smartphones have the nice hard switch at the top. I *have* to imagine this is the one most used features, why don't other phones embrace and facilitate this? There should not be a single phone out there that doesn't have immediate, one button access to silence. And further, it should be able to be done in silence and even be done without looking at it (like while it's in your pocket or purse) to do it discreetly. It would be really cool if you could reach into your pocket/purse, and immediate tell by touch that your phone is silenced to give you that confidence that you won't be singled out by the actor on stage.

Scheduling, facilitating vibrate/silence are small steps that are still miles away from solving this problem...I can't think of a good answer, maybe you have better thoughts?