![]() ![]() Formative testing in the Usability Lab.The following methods have been used to test the UI in Windows 95: A large portion of the total development budget of Windows 95 has been expended on this critical activity, and Windows 95 is probably the most usability-tested product ever. Network and connectivity integration is poor.Ĭonducting extensive live tests in a variety of settings with a variety of subjects has been key to engineering a state-of-the-art UI.There is too much “middle management,” with confusing and overlapping functionality between Program Manager, File Manager, Print Manager, Windows Setup, and Control Panel.More efficient and customizable for experienced users Problem Areas As a result, many users never run multiple applications. Double-clicking to launch applications is not discoverable.Hierarchical views (like those in File Manager) are confusing.Thousands of UI suggestions from Windows 3.1 users and corporate customers were compiled and analyzed, along with beta-tester UI feedback. The educators were asked questions such as, “What are the five hardest tasks for students to learn in Windows?” and “What five changes would you make to Windows to make it easier to learn?” The educators also tested prototypes of the UI in Windows 95. More than any other group of users, software educators understand the everyday usage challenges faced by novice and intermediate users. A team of UI designers and testers visited 12 independent software education companies. Several focus groups were conducted with different levels of users to identify the problems people have with Windows 3.1. However, to better understand how people use Windows 3.1 and to establish a baseline, several phases of testing were dedicated to Windows 3.1. The Microsoft Usability Lab, described on the following page, is primarily used for testing usability of new designs. The following mechanisms were used to compile this feedback data: The table on the following page summarizes key findings. There was no shortage of information about how the Windows 3.1 UI might be improved. The design process started with the basic question, “How can the UI in Windows 3.1 be improved?” That question launched a continuous cycle of discarding old ideas, conceiving new ideas, and learning-a constantly iterating design-usability test-redesign loop like the one shown in Figure 2. It started with clear objectives, guiding design principles, and a skilled team. The UI in Windows 95 was not constructed from a blueprint drawn from a master specification. For experienced users, Windows 95 promotes efficiency, customizability, and control via such power-user capabilities as the Windows Explorer, rich secondary mouse-button clicking, property sheets, and shortcuts. ![]() For novices, the most common and essential features of Windows 95, such as launching an application, task switching, and finding a file, are easily “discoverable” via the taskbar, with its Start button and push-button task switching. Windows 95 meets these disparate needs by being scaleable-that is, by being able to fit the proficiency and preferences of the individual user. In addition, users upgrading from Windows 3.1 want to make the transition without throwing out everything they have already learned. However, experienced users want to do more with their PCs, and they want efficiency and flexibility. Novices want learning how to perform a task to be easy, even at the expense of efficiency. Fulfilling this goal is a challenge because different people work in very different ways. The overarching goal of the UI in Windows 95 is to make PCs even easier to use for all people. Outlines UI features that make Windows 95 easy to learn and to use for those familiar with Windows 3.1. Outlines UI features that make Windows 95 more powerful, efficient, and customizable for the experienced Windows user. ![]() Outlines UI features that make Windows 95 easy to learn and use, especially for those new to Windows. This chapter discusses the design process that produced the UI in Windows 95 and then introduces the components of the UI, organized into the following categories: A great UI helps the computer industry grow because it makes computing easier and more natural for all people, from the novice user to the power user. The easier, more powerful, and more compelling the UI, the better the user feels about computing and the more productive the user is likely to be. More than any other part of the operating system, the UI defines the user’s overall experience. Instead, you are graphically carried to the desktop of the new Windows 95 user interface (UI). ![]() Gone are the character-mode boot messages that held meaning only for a very small minority of computer users. When you first boot Microsoft Windows 95, you know immediately that the old world of Windows running on top of MS-DOS is no more. Microsoft Windows 95 Reviewers Guide Chapter 3 ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |