Safety Flashcards

1
Q

Errors in UI

A
  • Excel carries formulas that must be entered with Ctrl Shift Enter not just Enter, every other edit you do is terminated by enter
  • Caps Lock - when it’s enable on a keyboard, the letter keys produce uppercase letters
  • The same action has diff meanings
  • If a user means to type lowercase letters but doesn’t notice that caps lock is enabled
  • Failing to correctly evaluate state of interface
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2
Q

Error Prevention: Safety from Errors 1

A
  • Avoid actions with similar descriptions: different things should look and act different
  • Keep dangerous commands away from common ones e.g. Outlook 2003
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3
Q

Safety from Errors 2

A
  • Eliminate the modes but not always possible, modes do have some uses like making command sets smaller
  • Increase visibility of mode:
  • Status indicators must be visible in the users locus of attention
  • Spring loaded mode:
  • Shift key is spring loaded ver of uppercase mode
  • Drag and drop
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4
Q

Confirmation Dialogs

A
  • Unfortunately common strategy for error prevention
  • Not a good idea since efficiency is decreased because two buttons need to be pressed to confirm an action
  • Slow downs UI
  • Reversibility (undo) is better solution than confirmation
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5
Q

User Control and Freedom

A
  • Good UIs are explorable
  • Learning by doing:
  • An UI should encourage exploration making things more visible and consequences of errors less severe
  • An easy, obvious way to get back to default/home view
  • User should have ultimate control
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6
Q

Clearly Marked Exits

A
  • The simplest kind of user control is veto (the ability to cancel an operation
  • Long operations should be cancellable
  • All dialogs should have a cancel button
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7
Q

Never Ask Me Again

A
  • Many interfaces interrupt users with questions:
  • If the answer is always the same, its inefficient
  • Does improve user control
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8
Q

Error Messages: Writing Error Message Dialogs

A
  • Best error message is none at all

- Errors should be prevented e.g. not allowing a user to type in letters in a number field

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9
Q

Error Messages: Be Precise and Comprehensible

A
  • Be precise:
  • Find out what’s really wrong and display a targeted message e.g. Line too long
  • User can adapt
  • Restate user’s input
  • e.g. Cannot open file named paper.doc instead of Cannot open file so problem is detected immediately
  • Speak the user’s language
  • Not FileExceptionNotFound
  • Hide technical details until requested
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10
Q

Error Messages: Suggest Reasons and Solutions

A
  • Give constructive help not just reporting the rror

- Why error occured and how to fix it

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11
Q

Be Polite

A
  • Be polite lol

- S

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