Hulver's site || Comments || Fads in Interface design

I think adding tooltips by cam (2.00 / 0) #13 Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 12:19:21 PM EST

warnings, etc, is laziness.

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic
[ Parent ]

Laziness on whose part? by wiredog (4.00 / 2) #15 Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 12:28:00 PM EST

We've got people working on the deck of a ship, using touch screens, having to enter data in real time. They have no time to crack a manual. If the interface is complex, then there better be tooltips and warnings. Otherwise data is lost.

Earth First!
_{(We can strip mine the rest later.)}
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In those instances by cam (2.00 / 0) #18 Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 12:46:56 PM EST

you can project/budget for training. Laziness on design/development's side.

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic
[ Parent ]

project/budget for training by wiredog (2.00 / 0) #20 Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 12:59:49 PM EST

I wish. But given the turnover in the people who will be using it (mostly researchers and grad students), significant training funding is unlikely. Better to spend more up front to eliminate some of the need.

Earth First!
_{(We can strip mine the rest later.)}
[ Parent ]

Budget?!?!?!?! by ad hoc (2.00 / 0) #21 Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 01:01:04 PM EST

Hahahahahahaha.

Training?!?!?!

Hahahahahahaha.

I was going to post an image of the idiotically complex spreadsheet style queue screen I'm writing for $client. If I put everything on there they require it would be one big black smudge.

Tooltips can be valuable. One example: this queue screen, among other things, lists titles of papers to be published. These are scientific papers, so the titles can be obscenely long. And there can be hundreds in the queue. So I truncate the title at 79 characters and an elipsis, then put in a tooltip with the entire title if they need it for some reason. They rarely need the whole thing, but they can see it they need to (like proofing).

--
The three things that make a diamond also make a waffle.
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I am not saying they dont have their place by cam (2.00 / 0) #23 Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 01:04:26 PM EST

I am arguing that they are over-used, intrusive and assume you are incapable of decision making. A lot of the popups are information clutter and overload.

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic
[ Parent ]

: I agree with that. by ad hoc (2.00 / 0) #27 Wed Apr 30, 2008 at 01:38:36 PM EST

I think. Maybe. Or not. I don't know, I can't decide.
--
The three things that make a diamond also make a waffle.
[ Parent ]