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Text in Interfaces

Text in Interfaces. How to choose labels and names? Lexical ambiguity Frequency of use Semantic priming Context. POST. Mail?. Power on Self Test!. Lamp post?. What is this thing doing in my mail?. Power indicator?. Power?. “When you turn on your computer,

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Text in Interfaces

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  1. Text in Interfaces • How to choose labels and names? • Lexical ambiguity • Frequency of use • Semantic priming • Context J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  2. POST Mail? Power on Self Test! Lamp post? What is this thing doing in my mail? Power indicator? Power? “When you turn on your computer, it will first run through the POST (…)” ASUS (2001). Notebook PC User’s Manual, p. 94 J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  3. Mail Power on Self Test Lamp post “When you turn on your computer, it will first run through the POST (…)” ASUS (2001). Notebook PC User’s Manual, p. 94 POST High-frequency meaning Medium-frequency meaning Low-frequency meaning In social group of non-expert users! J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  4. Mail Power on Self Test Lamp post “When you turn on your computer, it will first run through the POST (…)” ASUS (2001). Notebook PC User’s Manual, p. 94 POST Medium-frequency meaning Low-frequency meaning High-frequency meaning In social group of expert users! J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  5. Prime: Fixed PCMCIA (dummy card) Security Physical lock  The less you know (novice), the more you rely on context. If no context is provided, the dictionary meanings become active. Like computers, users become error-prone with ambiguities. Semantic priming is the solution. Lock J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  6. Password Physical lock Fixed Security The less you know (novice), the more you rely on context. If no context is provided, the dictionary meanings become active. Like computers, users become error-prone with ambiguities. Semantic priming is the solution. Prime: BIOS Setup Lock Physical lock J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  7. Caps lock Fixed Security The less you know (novice), the more you rely on context. If no context is provided, the dictionary meanings become active. Like computers, users become error-prone with ambiguities. Semantic priming is the solution. Prime: Case sensitive Lock J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  8. Caps lock Fixed Security Caps lock Scroll lock The less you know (novice), the more you rely on context. If no context is provided, the dictionary meanings become active. Like computers, users become error-prone with ambiguities. Semantic priming is the solution. Prime: Browse Lock J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  9. Fixed Security Caps lock Caps lock Scroll lock Scroll lock Num lock The less you know (novice), the more you rely on context. If no context is provided, the dictionary meanings become active. Like computers, users become error-prone with ambiguities. Semantic priming is the solution. Prime: Calculator Lock J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  10.  Labels do not prime high-frequency meanings Prime does not resolve ambiguity of name The same is valid for (linear) menu systems. Tools Car mechanic ? Macro What is big? Visual Basic Editor Editor is text not visual?! J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  11. J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  12. This is a screenshot from the draaiboek of the multimedia spectacle play Faust (Almere, 2002) by director Bert Barten. The photo is by Ruud Gort. Barten works out his plays in Microsoft Excel. Under Tools, the menu has Scenarios… What is the first meaning that will come to mind to the director? What is the first meaning coming to mind to an interaction designer? What to an econometrist? What is the intended meaning of the menu-text writer? J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  13. Synonyms: Same problem, the other way round Ambiguity: One word pointing at two meanings Synonyms: Two words, pointing at one meaning J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  14. Novices follow first association. Find (Ctrl F) is not related in meaning to Edit. Rightfully, they see searching as a tool. Under Tools, Goal Seek… describes exactly what they are doing. But they will end up setting cells to values. This is where the wild clicking commences... Random trial-and-error is a low level problem solving strategy but commonly found with non-expert users of interactive systems J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  15. Know your user group (novices vs. experts) Labels are short Yet, avoid ambiguity Don’t use synonyms Labels are self-explicating Otherwise, labels should prime high-frequency meanings Use context cues (Word processor activates different associations than Spreadsheet) Recommendations J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

  16. Homework Read the file Choosing your words in interface design and make the exercises Deadline: Friday morning 14-1-2005 J.F. Hoorn / G.C.v.d. Veer, 2005

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