Is it just me that closes these as fast as possibly whilst grumbling about how annoying they are?
Yeah me too but to be fair technical users (we're on HN) are probably not the target end users for the product that integrates this.
Driver.js: Product tours, highlights, contextual help and more
11–20 of 108 posts
Re: Driver.js: Product tours, highlights, contextual help and more
#12Is it just me that closes these as fast as possibly whilst grumbling about how annoying they are?
Depends on use case. When onboarding a user, it saves support emails when people can't figure out how to fulfill basic use cases. It also highlights new features that don't deserve main screen real estate but are requested. It's only annoying when it's pointing out the obvious.
"It's only annoying when it's pointing out the obvious."
No, I find them annoying every single time.
Re: Driver.js: Product tours, highlights, contextual help and more
#13What's with the resurgence of marquee elements lately? They're terrible for usability/readability and are visually annoying.
If anything this is a red flag for other aspects of the library.
Re: Driver.js: Product tours, highlights, contextual help and more
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
Depends on use case. When onboarding a user, it saves support emails when people can't figure out how to fulfill basic use cases. It also highlights new features that don't deserve main screen real estate but are requested. It's only annoying when it's pointing out the obvious.
"It's only annoying when it's pointing out the obvious." No, I find them annoying every single time.
I also find them annoying, but begrudgingly appreciate them too. Usually they are interrupting my flow to introduce me to a new non-obvious feature, and sometimes those new features are super useful.
Re: Driver.js: Product tours, highlights, contextual help and more
#15Is it just me that closes these as fast as possibly whilst grumbling about how annoying they are?
Depends on use case. When onboarding a user, it saves support emails when people can't figure out how to fulfill basic use cases. It also highlights new features that don't deserve main screen real estate but are requested. It's only annoying when it's pointing out the obvious.
I think they’re a design smell. If your interface is designed well, you don’t need them. If you hide features behind cute-but-meaningless icons with no text tooltips, you users will still struggle to find them even with an irritating onboarding tutorial.
Re: Driver.js: Product tours, highlights, contextual help and more
#16No no no no no.
Design your product to be understandable at first pass. Apple famously doesn't do any of this with your iPhone, while Sony forces you to do it on every new device.
Let the onboarding be a forcing function for usability. This isn't a crutch, it's something worse and damaging.
Re: Driver.js: Product tours, highlights, contextual help and more
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Depends on use case. When onboarding a user, it saves support emails when people can't figure out how to fulfill basic use cases. It also highlights new features that don't deserve main screen real estate but are requested. It's only annoying when it's pointing out the obvious.
I think they’re a design smell. If your interface is designed well, you don’t need them. If you hide features behind cute-but-meaningless icons with no text tooltips, you users will still struggle to find them even with an irritating onboarding tutorial.
How would your users find out about a new feature on a page that's tucked away into a menu without one of these?
Re: Driver.js: Product tours, highlights, contextual help and more
#18I like these, but only a little.
Don't force it on new users, but ask if they want a tour.
Only use sparingly when new features/buttons/changes are added to the app. Only once per session. Prompt is Dismiss/Tour option.
It's better if your app has an "intuitive" UX. But an un-forced tour can be helpful.
Its better than the sign-in interstitial to announce features.
Re: Driver.js: Product tours, highlights, contextual help and more
#19No no no no no. Design your product to be understandable at first pass. Apple famously doesn't do any of this with your iPhone, while Sony forces you to do it on every new device. Let the onboarding be a forcing function for usability. This isn't a crutch, it's something worse and damaging.
Yes to the pretend you can't have this as forcing force for usability but I'm good for adding it if the user answers "Yes" to have a tour.
Re: Driver.js: Product tours, highlights, contextual help and more
#20No no no no no. Design your product to be understandable at first pass. Apple famously doesn't do any of this with your iPhone, while Sony forces you to do it on every new device. Let the onboarding be a forcing function for usability. This isn't a crutch, it's something worse and damaging.
> Apple famously doesn't do any of this with your iPhone
You're arguing in favor of a product tour. iOS usability is garbage. There are no affordances. Nothing is discoverable. There are a million inputs (mostly gestures) that no one ever finds out about unless someone tells them or they Google it, and they're not consistent across apps, even first-party apps. Sometimes "swipe the row left" means "remove," sometimes it means "more actions". It's just a jumble of inconsistent nonsense.
Watch a non-tech person use their iPhone. They have no idea that they can do 50% of the things that they can do. Ever see anyone use "shake to undo" for example?