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Design Principles for Components

Design Principles for Components

Dec 05, 2008

Too many choices

  • Finding an item on a list

  • Too many unnecessary form options and screens

  • Too many choices (course creation - group tools intelligently)

Missing content

  • Provenance - where is stuff coming from?

  • Titles should match the status of a task (e.g. edit announcement vs. view announcement)

  • (M) Not clear what to do to create new course

  • "Open in a new Window" indicator - analysis that a new window is required

    • Difficult window arrangement

    • No indication that this is opening a new window - can be confusing

Inconsistency

  • Metadata inconsistencies (terminology, display, order)

  • Form submit buttons inconsistent (forums)

Visual Style

  • Resources: "x" button to remove files is an unusual affordance, doesn't work for first file

  • Calendar - In Focus

    • Uses visual cue similar to browsers. Need something like highlight to distinguish today from other days on calendar

  • Visual indicator of what's in focus

    • Browser visual cues too faint

    • Can we enrich what the browser does?

    • Particularly difficult for tool nav, checkboxes

Missing Functionality

  • Page vs. Tool: No affordance for multiple tools on a page

  • I-frames: turning off CSS leads to collapse of content frame

Missing Accessibility

  • Access Keys

    • Potential for conflict w/ browser shortcuts, mixed feelings about benefit

    • Argues for making an on/off option

  • Semantic page construction (headers, paragraphs, hierarchy)

  • Accessible/Keyboard tool navigator

    • Exist in many cases but should for all tools

    • Definition needs to be available

Placement

  • Pain point: scroll to bottom to find a button

  • Action buttons

    • Butons typically below the fold

    • User naturally chooses "x" to get out of wherever they are

    • Need to have buttons in view anytime they could be used

  • Banner: Welcome student message should be on the left sude of the banner. Current location makes it blend in with utility links

Back Button

  • Back button doesn't work - users expect it to

  • "back" and "cancel" used interchangeably across wizards

  • Back button should always take me to the place i just came from

  • Tools should not loose work if back button is pressed

Misc

  • Internationalization