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One of the most typical and complex menus we use every day is the Start Menu. It contains large amounts of information which are not always logically organized. There are many use cases which apply to the Start Menu, often dependent on the available functionality. Typically, there are four types of activities associate with information retrieval from the Start Menu.

Finding a known application for a known task. For example, you know Photoshop is installed and it is appropriate for editing an image you want to put on your web page. This is a known-item information need which is most appropriately addressed by a search system or an index. Ideally it is a experiential task, however some reflection may be necessary for using the search system. A user who knows what they are looking for and has experience accessing it should be able to simply find their item without much mental effort.

Finding an unknown application for an known task. For example, you want to play a movie but do not know what application you can use. The information needs to be addressed are a mix between known-item needs and selective research. Search systems and indexes still work, however the user may not have enough information to easily use these methods. A filtering or winnowing approach to a collection of information will help the user narrow the information based on their previous knowledge until they find the desired result. This is a much more reflective activity than finding a known application for a known task, however the combination of the user’s known knowledge and the appropriate information structures should help reduce mental load.

Finding an known application for a unknown task. For example, you have installed RealPlayer on your computer because your friend said you need it, but you’re not really sure what it is for. This is similar to finding an unknown application for an known task, except the user has knowledge of different information. The point of both these scenarios is that users have small pieces of information to help guide them, which may or may not be enough to find what they are looking for without the aid of more complex, reflective tools. A combination of the right knowledge and right tools help makes these activities flow.

Finding an unknown application for an unknown task. For example, you want to browse the available system software in order to be more familiar with what is installed. This is an open-ended information need with no clear information selection goal. There are many information structures which help facilitate this: guides, hierarchies, search wizards, and methods which allow switching between searching and browsing. This is a reflective activity requiring the user to analyze and make sense of the given information in order to make a decision to proceed. Armed with little or no information to aid in searching, this is very involving activity.

The Start Menu is a hierarchical menu which categorizes applications to help users find them. There are many problems with this model, besides the fact that the Start Menu is traditionally poorly organized with no logical naming or categorization scheme. A hierarchy is very useful for open-ended and exploratory information needs, however those needs are not common in the user activities described. To navigate these hierarchies – especially when the labeling and organization is sub-optimal – requires users to stop and make decisions unnecessarily. If a user knows what they are looking for, why must they stop and think so much?

It is interesting to note that most of the scenarios do not suggest a hierarchical structures for addressing the common information needs. Our experience with the Start Menu may have faded our opinions about the difficulty of the menu structure, but the hierarchy we use every day is not the most optimal way to be interacting with our information. Yes, the information is logically categorized and the hierarchy is a valid organizational method. The point is not of the organizational accuracy, but of the appropriateness of this structure. It does not account for the user’s information needs in any way and forces them to use an inappropriate and unnecessarily complex structure to accomplish their tasks. As a result, many of these experiential or slightly reflective activities require more mental effort than necessary.

References:
Norman, D. Things That Make Us Smart. Addison-Wesley, 1993.
Paul, C. Study of Desktop “Start Menu” Usability. University of Baltimore, 2006.
Rosenfeld, L. Information Needs Analysis. LouisRosenfeld.com, December 03 2002.

seele :: Sep.07.2006 :: Design, General, HCI :: 9 Comments »

Justin and I went to the local movie theater a few weeks ago, and I was completely amazed by the interactive floor they had setup in one corner of the lobby. After doing some research I found the company who created the technology, Reactrix.

It works like this: there is a floor (in this case a white hard surface so the projection could be easily seen) or some other surface on which a video/screen/image is projected. In addition to the projector, there is an infra-red receiver which checks for activity between the projector and the display surface. When it detects an object or movement, it uses that input to give visual feedback to the user via the projected image.

The kids in the movie theater LOVED this thing. Not knowing or caring how it worked, you could see them stomping, swiping, and waving their body over the floorspace to bounce balls, pop popcorn, and swirl colored clouds. My favorite display was much more peaceful but with the same amount of interaction. A top-down view of a koi pond was projected on to the floor, and when you walked on (or waved your hand over) the floor, you could see ripples in the water and the fish would swim away from the area of activity.

I want one.

The best part was how unintrusive this device was, both physically and mentally. There was no annoying feedback if you accidently stepped on the floor, and no damage done if you didnt react or interact with it correctly. Think of it like the ’smart’ thermostats we have now, where they sense the environment and adjust as you have told it to, but do not alert you persistantly (no beeping when it has changed a setting or needs input) or distract you in any way. Or even like speakers which sense your position and rotate the set up in order to give you the most balanced sound experience. Helpful, entertaining, but not intrusive to your lifestyle.

After seeing the koi pond the first application I thought of was an ambient living room or coffee room floor. The panel could be the floor underneath a glass or transparent coffee table in the middle of a sitting room. The fish would be nothing but decoration and ambience until yourself or a guest reach over to grab your cup and disturb the fish. Simple entertainment, a center piece to talk about, movement and ambience in decor, and a sense of something living in such a static world.

During E3 2005, Nintendo had Reactrix set up an interactive floor [google video] in their booth. It was so well received that many visitors thought it was a new Nintendo technology, not just a marketing display. Here is a more detailed article abou the Nintendo E3 display at N-Sider. They had a similar interactive koi pond, but as you walked on the water planks would float up and ’support’ your feet.

New technology often starts as an entertainment project until someone figures out how to sell it for use otherwise. A reactive display like this could be used for all sorts of things from physical therapy aids to military maps and dashboards. The implementation (infra-red receiving) may not be applicable, but regardless of how the action is detected (heat, movement, infra-red, laser, pressure) the same concepts and interactions can apply.

seele :: Feb.03.2006 :: Design, General, HCI :: 1 Comment »

It seems as if my latest mockup of a shortcut launch interface has gotten some attention. I’m glad to see people actually participating in the compared to the last post which received nothing more than cricket chirps.

Some clarifications:

• I mocked it up as a menu, but it can certainly change. Also, the index is not a menu, its an application, incase you were confused
• Pay attention to how I describe the organization and relation of the data; pay less attention to the graphics
• A completely task-based interface is not ready to be introduced as a major component for several reasons.
  • Its been researched and tested, but not widely implemented
  • Its a very new model for users to comprehend, and the rest of the interface doesnt use it
  • I think theres more to interaction and goal-completing than tasks. A completely task-based interface would be difficult to implement for wide acceptance (as of now because of the lack of UE and implementation experience)
• Actions such as logout, shutdown, lockscreen are not included in these menus, they belong to the kicker bar
• Remember to Keep It Simple! The launch interface should be quick to open, quick to scan, and quick to launch the index to do additional searching. Frequently used items should be available within a click or two, infrequently items should be findable without user error

If you would like to discuss the menu, please participate in the KDEDeveloper’s Blog thread to maintain coherency.

seele :: Dec.31.2005 :: General, HCI, KDE/Kubuntu :: No Comments »

Recently I wrote up a summary of one part of my solution for the KMenu

Theres been lots of talk and speculation what a new KMenu would look and act like. I presented some background research as well as some of my own ideas at aKademy in August. I had sketches, diagrams, and notes of what a new system could look and act like, but nothing too visual which didnt require reading my book (literally a notebook full) of notes.

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So, I’ll skip some of the background information and continue to the technical details. My solution for the KMenu comes in three parts. First, we need an interface with which the user can easily browse/search all software. Second, we need an interface which the user can quickly and easily launch applications without having to put forth much effort. Third, we need “smart” customizable menus to help the user relate data and applications together as tasks.

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Read more about the application browser here…

seele :: Nov.23.2005 :: General, HCI, KDE/Kubuntu :: No Comments »

This is for all you single Information Architects out there.

seele :: Aug.03.2005 :: General, HCI, Humor :: No Comments »