What Is Usability?

“The term “usable” means more then just easy to learn. Ease of learning is an important component of usability, but it is the least important of three components. To be usable, the product also has to be quick to use and relatively error-free. Most importantly, you must do what the user wants… Usability refers to three different components: the product does what you need it to do, it does that quickly and safely, and, last, it is easy to learn…”
- From the book by Jeff Johnson “GUI Bloopers”

What Annoys Users Most?

“One sure way for software to annoy its users is to ask them for data the software obviously doesn’t need. The form of this blooper that annoys users the most is asking them to reenter data they already entered…

Make it high priority not to require users to enter data repeatedly. Here are several ways:

• Ask only for data you really need. If you aren’t sure what you will do with a piece of data, you don’t need it.

• Stick to the current transaction. Data you would like for other purposes, such as marketing or establishing relationship with the user, should be requested in separate and optional areas of software.

• Don’t make any data “required” unless you really cannot proceed without it.

• Don’t require data some customers won’t have: you will just force them to make it up… or take their business elsewhere.

• When someone gives you information, deduce as much as you can from it. Use what you know to fill in other data fields.

Asking for data you don’t need scares away customers who value their privacy, prevents customers from achieving their goals, frustrates those who don’t have the information you require, and slows throughout.”

From a book by Jeff Johnson “GUI Bloopers”

Display resolution statistics January 2010

Based on latest data from w3schools 76 % of users surf the web with their motor set to resolution higher than 1024×768, which is currently accepted minimum standard for web site designers. (more…)

How Much Time Do We Waste on Badly Designed Apps?

Computer load-time, pop-ups, new apps installation, new user interrelations, lack of intuitiveness, search for drivers, frozen system, reboots, etc. – these are just a few of the things that most of us face on daily basis. Dealing with all these issues takes users up to 30 minutes a day according to Telegraph UK. (more…)

LG Turns to Android UI

LG has announced it will  run Android in more than half of its smartphones in 2010. It is a significant change from the company’s current strategy. In 2009, only one LG smartphone ran Android and the rest were running Windows Mobile. It is a big hit for Microsoft as other companies such as Motorola, Samsung and HTC move away from Windows Mobile as well.

About a year ago Balmer dismissed Google as a player on the mobile market. And in 2007 he dismissed iPhone as a threat to Windows Mobile. Now MS obviously is losing its once-dominating market position and doing it very quickly. Both iPhone and Android will likely to dominate mobile markets for the next decade.

Besides the Google business model, which is definitely more appealing to the mobile service providers than MicroSoft’s, user satisfaction is another very important factor. Both iPhone and Android have very well designed, user-centered  User Interfaces.

Apple’s Rumoured Tablet to Have 3D Interface?

Apple has filed a patent that describes an interface for manipulating “three-dimensional virtual objects” on a touch screen. The technology  may be used in future releases of iPhone or in the rumoured Apple tablet (iSlate?). I doubt that simply porting existed OS to a 10” touch screen may take “you-know-who’s considerable undivided attention”. Having an entire event dedicated to the mobile market Apple will most probably try to set a new standard. 3D User Interface may become just the thing to mark a new step in evolution of UX.  Apple has been working on various 3D systems for quite some time now: 3D Projection System, 3D Desktop, 3D Displays, etc.

Apple to Buy Mobile Advertising Company

Apple is about to announce the acquisition of Quattro Wireless for $275 million. Apple tried to bid on AdMob acquired by Google not so long ago. With Google’s Nexus launch tomorrow both companies become direct competitors in the smartphone market. From a UI prospective, it is interesting to see how Apple’s User Experience dedication and strict App Store approval rules will stand against Google’s users-know-better-what-they-need approach.

Android Market and Apple’s App Store

As Android Market has grown to about the 20,000 apps mark, it is interesting to compare two different approaches to User Experience. While Apple sets up very strict approval rules in effort to assure only well done and polished apps get through to an end-user, Google doesn’t set any approval process at all. Aesthetics have never been Google’s concern although it’s nothing-gets-in-the-users-way approach has became a signature style on its own. And it does work very well on the web, but for mobile apps it may not.

In many cases visual aspects of apps and UI become the very corners that are being cut in order to minimize product-to-market time and expenses. As a result, we see less-than-inspiring graphics, confusing User Interfaces and an overall lack of consistency. One of iPhones’s strong points is the well-designed default UI elements that help to assure some level of consistency across various applications. After all, apps are just tools running on a mobile device and shared layout principals help a great deal in minimizing learning curve for users.

Below is a screenshot of Apple Store’s Movies App that uses default iPhone library elements as well as a very similar app from Android Market.

Movies by Flixster (Android)

Movies (Apple App Store)

Mobile Traffic at glance (by AdMob)

A few days back, AdMob published a very interesting report on market share of various mobile OS and smartphones. The data suggests that Apple’s dedication to User Experience results in  higher apps approval and user adoption rates. The report is a great read but for those that don’t have time here are the highlights:

Smartphone Traffic by Manufacturer – Worldwide

• Apple – 50%
• Nokia – 24% (Mainly from India, Indonesia, Philippines and South Africa markets where Nokia has 89% of the market)
• HTC – 12%
• RIM – 7%

Smartphone Traffic by OS:

• Apple OS 50%
• Symbian OS – 25%  (Mainly from India, Indonesia, Philippines and South Africa markets where Nokia has with 89% of the market)
• Android OS – 11%
• RIM  OS – 7%

United States Data by Manufacturer

• Apple – 55%
• HTC – 22%
• RIM – 12%

Smartphone Traffic by OS:

• iPhone OS – 55%
• Android – 20%
• RIM OS – 12 %

It is interesting that Apple’s traffic comes from only 2 devices – iPhone and iPod. Android traffic comes from 9 devices currently available worldwide. RIM traffic is a result of their current 11 smartphones and probably some past models.

The full report is available here. http://metrics.admob.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/AdMob-Mobile-Metrics-Oct-09.pdf

Usability over Aesthetics

I really admire good design, a tasteful colour palette and the fine finish of all UI elements. But Google pays no attention to any of it. Their design is completely data driven and they are known for things like testing 64 shades of blue for few months before deciding on the colour of the box boarder. And still I find myself dumping the beautiful Apple Mail for Gmail. I bought Things – a most eye-catching app that scored Apple Design Award and yet find myself using Gmail Tasks. Beautifully designed iCal is also an app I rarely open, opting for Google Calendar instead.

What’s the reason? Usability I guess. Google is an adept in making usable apps. All their apps are highly intuitive and usable, albeit ugly. I save great deal of time when I have all apps in one window talking to each other. The ugliness of design elements does bother me but the usability pays me back in time saved.

I guess to justify Google’s approach to UI, they need to think about every bite going through their server with the amount of data they process. To a certain degree they comply with a basic rule of design: Take out everything that is not necessary until you can’t anymore and then you have a well designed product. (Michelangelo used to joke that his trade is very easy. Take a rock and cut off everything unnecessary).