Jacob Nielsen :: The proximity of actions and objects in the design of interfaces

My first translation of the article in principle, do not judge strictly.

The proximity of actions and objects in the design of interfaces

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Sammari:

The user does not use the interface capabilities if the elements — buttons and checkboxes — are too far from the objects on which they perform any actions.

One of the oldest principles of computer interaction with a person says that those elements located nearby are connected. In the same way, the user perceives as connected those elements that have the same color or shape, which move or change together, or are in the same restricted area.

Even considering that these principles are no longer something new and an infinite number of books have been written about them, we often see that users do not use all the features of the interface because it violates the proximity rule. When the buttons and drop-downs, checkboxes or other interface elements are too far from the objects on which they perform actions, people do not notice them. It often happens that users do not understand what they are losing and simply assume that some actions are simply inaccessible.

In a case study about e-commerce, for example, users often do not pay attention to products that are shown in different sizes or colors.

How iTunes violates the proximity rule

A striking example of this can be cited by looking at the Apple iTunes window, offering to update applications for the iPhone. A few months after the purchase of the iPhone, I thought that users need to check the application icons manually each time.

Here's what it looks like:



At the top of the window is a bunch of icons. At the very bottom of the window there is a button that says "1 update available." This button updates the applications for which updates are available.
But for several months I did not notice this button, just because it is too far from the objects for which it is responsible.

Moreover, this button is located on a strip of a different color, so it seems as if it is outside the icon area.

(By the way, why is the iTunes window on my screenshot so large if there are so few icons in it? Because the same program controls applications and the music collection. When you work with several hundred records, you need a lot of space. It’s not always good perform so different operations on the same interface.)

Buttons next to vs. buttons away

Interestingly, iTunes shows the correct location of the buttons in another part of the same interface:



In this screenshot, the "Update" button to the right of the icon, which it affects. There is no risk not to notice it. And there are no questions like "what should I do?". (It’s sad that the Finish button is about the same as before Siberia. In fact, the problem is that this window uses dialog areas as dialog boxes).

The fact that well-known corporations make such mistakes in usability is explained by the fact that most of the people in their teams did not study the interaction of man and computer at universities. But how can Apple make such monstrous interface errors? Apple has made great strides in the field of graphical interfaces since it entered the big market in 1984.

Firstly, this is just one more proof that everyone can be mistaken, and you should not do everything the way it is done in the best applications or on the most famous sites.

Secondly, the problem of usability may not seem so bad in the tests of Apple itself:
- If a smaller window is being tested, the button should be closer to the icon and remain unnoticed with less probability. (A smaller window size can produce results on medium-sized monitors or in isolated tests, i.e., where, for example, the user will not work with a large workspace in order to fit his entire music collection.)

If they tested the configuration with a large number of application icons, the icons would have to fill the space and, thus, the button would be closer to the last icon.

This case illustrates the continuing importance of old and proven interfaces: an understanding of what was discovered several years ago will remind you of yourself if you forget about it. A misplaced button in iTunes also shows the importance of testing sample data.

Source: www.useit.com/alertbox/action-object-closeness.html