| Introduction | Human Interface Target List | Scenario1, 2, 3 | Log Files |
The H.I.T. List is comprised of general UI design issues discovered during the usability evaluation. Reference links will bring you to the specific instances of the issue.
| Condensing navigation: Users pointed out that the side pane navigation control in Microsoft Outlook would be more intuitive and save screen real-estate. The side pane could also use a cleaner control for maximizing and minimizing. In the current system, the side pane appears and disappears based on what area you navigate to. This seems to lead to some confusion. For example, one user thought he had opened a new window when he started to "search the logs" because of the visual cues implied by the disappearing side bar. |
| Give users more control: Not having enough control over pedestrian functionality is often frustrating for users. Sitting for 60 seconds while a pages loads can feel like an eternity - especially when the page was called by mistake. A standard usability rule says that if the action takes more than ten seconds to accomplish, users need a status bar and the ability to stop or cancel out of that action. |
| Provide feedback: The state of the system should always be immediately recognizable to the user. Giving users visual cues beyond written content supports intuitive behaviors. For example, providing a down button state for an active container. |
| Lower the load on user's memory: Whenever possible, software products should avoid placing a memory burdens on users. |
| The visual layout and narrative content should work hand-in-hand to signal the appropriate possible actions: If visual design elements conflict with or do not support the narrative content in an interface, users are left to play a guessing game. Each time a user is presented with this type of conflict, they loose confidence their ability to manage the product they are working with. |
| Introduction | Human Interface Target List | Scenario1, 2, 3 | Log Files |