4 ms·

... or users can just be given the option and decide for themselves. http://i.imgur.com/ym4W4.png http://i.imgur.com/ym4W4.png

by kefs 15y ago

cuu508 15y ago
I'd be wary of configuration settings like this, they sidestep the problem and create another one--you still have potentially confusing navigation and now there's more clutter in configuration screen. In this case, the configuration setting is badly named too, 'Manage "Back" button' makes sense to the developer, less so to the user. There are useful settings that help me accomplish the task, and then there are not so useful settings where developer simply couldn't decide. I particulary dislike configuration UIs that devote whole section of toggles and switches for configuring the configuration screen itself.
- kefs 15y ago
  So, giving the user more control is a bad thing? While I understand that users can be easily overwhelmed with a plethora of options, this one makes sense.. especially for an email app.
  - cuu508 15y ago
    Looks more like working around deficiency in navigation, than giving more control. Rethink your UX, put together prototypes, user-test, and repeat. Leave configuration option as last resort. That's the approach for app that wants to "Simplify my life" and "Make me amazing".
  - underwater 15y ago
    There are hundreds of design decisions that go into any product. Designers can't give each and every one a configuration setting, and can't know before launch which decisions will be the wrong ones. If the back button did it's job properly then the feature would just work; you wouldn't need to manually configure it to match your mental model.
nl 15y ago
No, no. Config settings like that are a way for lazy designers to avoid making hard decisions. Joel Spolsky wrote about this over 10 years ago: Every time you provide an option, you're asking the user to make a decision. That means they will have to think about something and decide about it. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but, in general, you should always try to minimize the number of decisions that people have to make. and "But wait!" you say. "It's important to have options for advanced users who want to tweak their environments!" In reality, it's not as important as you think. This reminds me of when I tried to switch to a Dvorak keyboard. The trouble was, I don't use one computer. I use all kinds of computers. I use other people's computers. I use three computers fairly regularly at home and three at work. I use computers in the test lab at work. The trouble with customizing your environment is that it just doesn't propagate, so it's not even worth the trouble. http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000059.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000059....
- mhaymo 15y ago
  Does that second part really apply to mobile development though? Most people only use one phone, or maybe two, for anything more involved than making a call.
  - nl 15y ago
    They also use a tablet or two, maybe an ebook reader, maybe a TV running the same OS, etc etc.
- gcb 15y ago
  i love those reasoning of 'real' designers to enforce what THEY think is best. like the 'designers' of gnome3 (using the term loosely here) who thinks focus-follow-mouse and click-does-not-raise-window are things that only the devil would use and so no one should be allowed 'for usability sake' and 'think of the children' think about it. a black wallpaper is the best readability option. period. so let's remove the user ability to change wallpapers pronto! what i say "everytime you provide the user an option, you are asking him to, if he uses the software enough, to take a little second to make a decision that will give him an incredible productivity edge" now, stop being lazy and hiding behind excuses. work on the real problem: how to present the options so they are not in the way, like joel mentions it while not being missed by the user
fbailey 15y ago
Now that's only an option, if users understand what will happen and why they should change this setting. "Manage Back Button" is not an understandable option. So instead of solving the problem you just defered to the user. That's not design, that's just lazy.

... or users can just be given the option and decide for themselves. http://i.imgur.com/ym4W4.png http://i.imgur.com/ym4W4.png

by kefs 15y ago

... or users can just be given the option and decide for themselves. http://i.imgur.com/ym4W4.png http://i.imgur.com/ym4W4.png

cuu508 15y ago

I'd be wary of configuration settings like this, they sidestep the problem and create another one--you still have potentially confusing navigation and now there's more clutter in configuration screen. In this case, the configuration setting is badly named too, 'Manage "Back" button' makes sense to the developer, less so to the user. There are useful settings that help me accomplish the task, and then there are not so useful settings where developer simply couldn't decide. I particulary dislike configuration UIs that devote whole section of toggles and switches for configuring the configuration screen itself.

kefs 15y ago
So, giving the user more control is a bad thing? While I understand that users can be easily overwhelmed with a plethora of options, this one makes sense.. especially for an email app.
- cuu508 15y ago
  Looks more like working around deficiency in navigation, than giving more control. Rethink your UX, put together prototypes, user-test, and repeat. Leave configuration option as last resort. That's the approach for app that wants to "Simplify my life" and "Make me amazing".
- underwater 15y ago
  There are hundreds of design decisions that go into any product. Designers can't give each and every one a configuration setting, and can't know before launch which decisions will be the wrong ones. If the back button did it's job properly then the feature would just work; you wouldn't need to manually configure it to match your mental model.

nl 15y ago

No, no. Config settings like that are a way for lazy designers to avoid making hard decisions. Joel Spolsky wrote about this over 10 years ago: Every time you provide an option, you're asking the user to make a decision. That means they will have to think about something and decide about it. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but, in general, you should always try to minimize the number of decisions that people have to make. and "But wait!" you say. "It's important to have options for advanced users who want to tweak their environments!" In reality, it's not as important as you think. This reminds me of when I tried to switch to a Dvorak keyboard. The trouble was, I don't use one computer. I use all kinds of computers. I use other people's computers. I use three computers fairly regularly at home and three at work. I use computers in the test lab at work. The trouble with customizing your environment is that it just doesn't propagate, so it's not even worth the trouble. http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000059.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000059....

mhaymo 15y ago
Does that second part really apply to mobile development though? Most people only use one phone, or maybe two, for anything more involved than making a call.
- nl 15y ago
  They also use a tablet or two, maybe an ebook reader, maybe a TV running the same OS, etc etc.
gcb 15y ago
i love those reasoning of 'real' designers to enforce what THEY think is best. like the 'designers' of gnome3 (using the term loosely here) who thinks focus-follow-mouse and click-does-not-raise-window are things that only the devil would use and so no one should be allowed 'for usability sake' and 'think of the children' think about it. a black wallpaper is the best readability option. period. so let's remove the user ability to change wallpapers pronto! what i say "everytime you provide the user an option, you are asking him to, if he uses the software enough, to take a little second to make a decision that will give him an incredible productivity edge" now, stop being lazy and hiding behind excuses. work on the real problem: how to present the options so they are not in the way, like joel mentions it while not being missed by the user

fbailey 15y ago

Now that's only an option, if users understand what will happen and why they should change this setting. "Manage Back Button" is not an understandable option. So instead of solving the problem you just defered to the user. That's not design, that's just lazy.