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That's why you need settings in your tools. The tool should work efficiently without you ever looking at the settings, but if you need it you should be able to

That's why you need settings in your tools. The tool should work efficiently without you ever looking at the settings, but if you need it you should be able to change anything you like. Not sure it applies to consumer interfaces. Ideally it shouldn't. But for tools that you use to do day-to-day work, absolutely.

georgemcbay 14y ago
It is also why your settings must be absolutely simple, logical and follow conventions of whatever platform you are on (if any). If I have to dig through 10 pages of arcane settings to find some "simple thing" like the one described in the OP's example feature, it might as well not exist (assuming the context that I'm a new user and not already committed to using this software), I've already moved on to the next candidate app.
- guard-of-terra 14y ago
  I doubt there is a wide choice of professional tools in most areas. You have to choose between a few suboptimal fits, and that's where you start valuing flexibility.
  - DanBC 14y ago
    And they're often closed source, so there's limited chance to add the features. You might be able to ask users on some forum. And maybe there's something on the website about feedback or feature request. Having said all that how do you control the flood of "Why doesn't X do Y?" (when Y is in the menu, on the tool bar, on the splash tips of the day, in the tool tip, etc)
    - guard-of-terra 14y ago
      Theoretically it should be solved by making everything scriptable, but in practice this solution tends to only work for a small subset of users (who could benefit from customization). We still have this road ahead.
      - DanBC 14y ago
        Or more services like Bountify?
bbq 14y ago
Settings are for microwaves. Computer-based tools should be reprogrammable. Still, the tool should be easy to configure for the 80% case.
- mcpherrinm 14y ago
  Settings on a microwave are, I think, a terrible example. Most microwaves I've used are horribly over-encumbered. I expect two dials on any microwave I use: Time, Power. Maybe a control to set the time, if it has a clock. I don't disagree with your general point about tools being able to be reprogrammed, though. One of the reasons I loved Autocad as a tool is the Lisp interpreter that allows you to script and extend it. I think that's a perfect example of a professional, mainstream tool with a good API that non-programmers find useful (if only to run scripts they find).
  - ansgri 14y ago
    Autocad has a very interesting GUI concept, not in that it's programmable (VBA existed in CorelDraw for years), in its dialogue mode: you click a circle, and it asks you of a center; you either click or type coordinates. Sadly, this mode is rare in non-CAD systems.
    - Gravityloss 14y ago
      Solidworks used to work like that too, it's a delight to just start a line and keep on typing distance deltas in numbers and see stuff emerging without a single mouse movement.
  - sea6ear 14y ago
    Do you have any current examples of consumer level microwaves with that simple interface? I've been looking for exactly that sort of simple microwave, but I haven't been able to find any in my brief searches on the internet or in the large mart style stores.
    - johansch 14y ago
marcusmacinnes 14y ago
Not sure what "settings" have to do with this. The point being made in the post is that if trivial, "expected" features are missing, users wont even bother to look further.
- guard-of-terra 14y ago
  Everybody has different expectations. For example, maybe you don't care about rect size but what you care about is the rect sides ratio. So obviously you want the status line to display the ratio and it isn't there. Or maybe you care about rect's area! And the status line doesn't display area either. You can't have all that: it won't fit and it would look like crap. So you need settings.
sanj 14y ago
I have never found making something a configurable setting to solve any problems. All it does is push the decision forward to what the default should be, given that 99% don't change it. Design is about making decisions. Trying to duck that leads nowhere.

georgemcbay 14y ago

It is also why your settings must be absolutely simple, logical and follow conventions of whatever platform you are on (if any). If I have to dig through 10 pages of arcane settings to find some "simple thing" like the one described in the OP's example feature, it might as well not exist (assuming the context that I'm a new user and not already committed to using this software), I've already moved on to the next candidate app.

guard-of-terra 14y ago
I doubt there is a wide choice of professional tools in most areas. You have to choose between a few suboptimal fits, and that's where you start valuing flexibility.
- DanBC 14y ago
  And they're often closed source, so there's limited chance to add the features. You might be able to ask users on some forum. And maybe there's something on the website about feedback or feature request. Having said all that how do you control the flood of "Why doesn't X do Y?" (when Y is in the menu, on the tool bar, on the splash tips of the day, in the tool tip, etc)
  - guard-of-terra 14y ago
    Theoretically it should be solved by making everything scriptable, but in practice this solution tends to only work for a small subset of users (who could benefit from customization). We still have this road ahead.
    - DanBC 14y ago
      Or more services like Bountify?

bbq 14y ago

Settings are for microwaves. Computer-based tools should be reprogrammable. Still, the tool should be easy to configure for the 80% case.

mcpherrinm 14y ago
Settings on a microwave are, I think, a terrible example. Most microwaves I've used are horribly over-encumbered. I expect two dials on any microwave I use: Time, Power. Maybe a control to set the time, if it has a clock. I don't disagree with your general point about tools being able to be reprogrammed, though. One of the reasons I loved Autocad as a tool is the Lisp interpreter that allows you to script and extend it. I think that's a perfect example of a professional, mainstream tool with a good API that non-programmers find useful (if only to run scripts they find).
- ansgri 14y ago
  Autocad has a very interesting GUI concept, not in that it's programmable (VBA existed in CorelDraw for years), in its dialogue mode: you click a circle, and it asks you of a center; you either click or type coordinates. Sadly, this mode is rare in non-CAD systems.
  - Gravityloss 14y ago
    Solidworks used to work like that too, it's a delight to just start a line and keep on typing distance deltas in numbers and see stuff emerging without a single mouse movement.
- sea6ear 14y ago
  Do you have any current examples of consumer level microwaves with that simple interface? I've been looking for exactly that sort of simple microwave, but I haven't been able to find any in my brief searches on the internet or in the large mart style stores.
  - johansch 14y ago

marcusmacinnes 14y ago

Not sure what "settings" have to do with this. The point being made in the post is that if trivial, "expected" features are missing, users wont even bother to look further.

guard-of-terra 14y ago
Everybody has different expectations. For example, maybe you don't care about rect size but what you care about is the rect sides ratio. So obviously you want the status line to display the ratio and it isn't there. Or maybe you care about rect's area! And the status line doesn't display area either. You can't have all that: it won't fit and it would look like crap. So you need settings.

sanj 14y ago

I have never found making something a configurable setting to solve any problems. All it does is push the decision forward to what the default should be, given that 99% don't change it. Design is about making decisions. Trying to duck that leads nowhere.