Re: [Usability] Instant Apply Windows

[Gregory Merchan <merchan phys lsu edu>]

On Thu, Jan 03, 2002 at 02:34:35PM +0100, Christian Rose wrote:
> tor 2002-01-03 klockan 12.26 skrev Gregory Merchan:
<snip>
> > This is not a compromise. This is what those of us who have looked into
> > common practice and have observed users in action are against.
> 
> No, we're not against it. "Look into common practice and observe users"
> and you'll see that there are a significant number of users that are
> really confused by dialogs/preference windows with no obvious way to
> close them.

Aren't you so cute and witty? ha. ha.

The conjunction indicates that both conditions are to be satisfied.
Even if having two apparent ways to close the window did not make it less
obvious how to close the windows, you cannot satisfy the condion of
identifying common practice. Any cuteness is irrelevant.

And even if you disagree with that, the point still stands that what is
shown is not a compromise.


> > A button labelled "Done" is still a Close button because that is the
> > command it issues.
> > 
> >   (Unless, of course, a Done button is supposed to mean,
> >    "Now accept my changes."; in which case this is not an
> >    instant-apply window, but instead a rather bizarre
> >    dialog in that it has not Ok and Cancel buttons.)
> 
> A Done button is supposed to mean "I'm done with my changes".
> There really is no extra danger of confusing it with a traditional
> OK/Cancel/Apply non-instant-apply preference window unless you don't
> read button labels at all, or notice that the number of buttons and
> groupings of buttons is entirely different. . . .

Do you have any usability studies to prove that?

>                                        . . .The only thing you
> accomplish by removing all buttons is removing the obvious way to exit
> the window for many users, and make the window harder to navigate for
> other users, not bringing some extra mysterious "clarity".

Do you have any usability studies to prove that?
 
> Christian


Gregory Merchan