The best interface is no interface
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The best interface is no interface
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Re: The best interface is no interface
#2This is a well-trod point, but one that's always good to be reminded of. A similar argument is made in The Design of Everyday Things - if your interface needs an instruction manual, even if it's only one word (for instance the word "pull" on a door) then the interface is not doing its job.
I'd highly recommend DOET for anyone interested in this sort of thing.
Re: The best interface is no interface
#3The best interface is hiding all the steps of a complex process and saying you did away with the interface.
No steps = easy to debug when it goes wrong. You just point at it and loudly whine: "It's not working!" then nobody fixes it because all the back end is "magic".
Re: The best interface is no interface
#4One thing that mustn't be over-looked with interfaces that 'learn about your behavior' is they can lock into a 'local maxima' and can be difficult to retrain without resetting to factory defaults. - If your lifestyle changes, can the interface keep up?
Re: The best interface is no interface
#5Prior discussion:
Re: The best interface is no interface
#6As far as ergonomics I always liked the Mercedes door handles better than those of some other cars, where you can only open the door by gripping from underneath. Interface design and ergonomics go hand in hand.
I think the iPhone is a good example with its one button design and size, as opposed to clunkier cellphones with 3 or more buttons.
Re: The best interface is no interface
#7As far as ergonomics I always liked the Mercedes door handles better than those of some other cars, where you can only open the door by gripping from underneath. Interface design and ergonomics go hand in hand. I think the iPhone is a good example with its one button design and size, as opposed to clunkier cellphones with 3 or more buttons.
1. The iPhone does not have just one button. It has several other buttons at the side, and it has a GUI.
2. The one-front-button deal is one of the many things I hate about iPhones. The "go back" operation is something we do often on smart phones. I want my phone to have that at the front. I also like trackballs there.
Re: The best interface is no interface
#8Designers often forget about this in their urge to overdesign and show-off. That's probably why you should have a strictly UI/UX person on your team, who can say no and strip the clutter.
Re: The best interface is no interface
#9While having no interface is a nice idea, I think that there's also something to be said for "Make common things easy, rare things possible." That is, it's great to try to eliminate the need for an interface, but you can't assume or even expect that you'll always succeed, so you have to have an interface anyway.
Also, a lot of famous security vulnerabilities like the fact that Windows will execute things on a memory stick without being asked, are the result people trying for no interface. Having merchants billing you without you consenting seems really, really sketchy and maybe the video addresses this in a way that would satisfy me, but I'm sceptical.
Re: The best interface is no interface
#10One thing that mustn't be over-looked with interfaces that 'learn about your behavior' is they can lock into a 'local maxima' and can be difficult to retrain without resetting to factory defaults. - If your lifestyle changes, can the interface keep up?
That could happen, but really that would be a "bug", not an inherent problem with the design. That would be the developer's job to fix.