William Benson
vbacreations at gmail.com
Mon Aug 29 18:47:50 CDT 2011
This "key " is a holy Grail and seldom happens. IMHO. On Aug 29, 2011 11:33 AM, "Arthur Fuller" <fuller.artful at gmail.com> wrote: > Here here for the "No False Moves" strategy. The most important thing, IMO, > is to make the user feel both powerful and elegant: nothing that should not > happen should be permitted to happen. I know from experience that this is a > PITA to deliver, but it inevitably is correct: foreclose the options that > should not be available in the given context. A silly example, but I hope > meaningful -- unless a given OrderID has been selected, then dis-allow the > printing of an Invoice. > > The point here is ultimately, "Make the user feel graceful"; not merely > competent, although that is Step One, but Graceful (that is Step Two). I > have followed this strategy for about 20 years and it invariably has worked > in my favour. In fact, I have learned some things from the users of my apps > which I didn't even consider, because I don't actually use my deliverables, > but just test them and then deploy them; the people who use them use them > frequently, and are quicker than I to detect annoyances. I do listen to > them, and I try to deliver smoother avenues on next deployment. > > I'm not claiming any expertise in this area. My rule of thumb is, Shut Up > and Listen. I don't often run the systems I deliver, especially all day > long; so I trust my customer-base to tell me what is a PITA and what is > nice; then I go back to the drawing board and try to design the PITA out. > Sometimes this strategy doesn't work, but most of the time it does. Users > Rule; it's not about Referential Integrity or Validation Rules etc., it's > about the user-experience, and about getting from Here to There in the > fewest possible clicks and keystrokes. That's my design goal, anyway. I > don't want the user (God, I hate that word, it reminds me of drug-dealers!) > to have the simplest possible path toward creating a new Customer with its > ancillary tables, or to update an existing Customer and her Locations, and > her Location_Projects. > > I want all the background stuff to be invisible to the current Customer. > This should all happen under smoke-and-mirrors, and then once the scaffold > has been laid, everything else should happen automagically > > On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 9:18 AM, William Benson (VBACreations.Com) < > vbacreations at gmail.com> wrote: > >> I think you all write applications for many more users than I do. I have >> not >> written anything for more than about 3 users at a time and basically they >> are easily trained. The most important things have been to get work done in >> the fewest number of steps. And no "false moves". On one app I built lately >> there are several buttons down the right hand side of each of the main >> forms. I can put anything I want in their captions then handle all button >> clicks through a test of screen.activeform.name, >> screen.activeform.ActiveControl.Name. I ALWAYS use captions, never images, >> for just that reason. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com >> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Darryl Collins >> Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 7:46 PM >> To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' >> Subject: Re: [AccessD] User Interface >> >> Hah, that is pretty much what I wanted to say, but as usual, waffled off >> topic a fair bit... >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com >> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Tony Septav >> Sent: Monday, 29 August 2011 12:36 AM >> To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' >> Subject: [AccessD] User Interface >> >> Hey John >> In designing a user interface I always try to keep it clean, simple and >> intuitive. Always keeping in mind that you are programming/designing not >> for >> the 99.9% but the .1% of the users ( a friend of mine used to laugh at this >> "You spent a lot of time trying to solve the .1% problem", that was until >> he >> worked with me on a project). >> >> I am always trying to keep in mind when designing, the lowest common >> denominator ,my theoretical "computer illiterate user". Meaning I control >> what a user can and cannot do. I am always trying to second guess the user >> and trying to shut any backdoors they may sneak into and open. >> >> I like to use single simple forms/single tab forms >> There is no HELP (the form should visually flow/display to the user what >> and >> how things need to be done) >> There are no menus. >> The information intuitively flows from top to bottom >> Where applicable some information may be highlighted in coloured boxes. I >> use colour sparingly as it can tend to make the form look goofy or too >> busy. >> The forms contain all the things, buttons, my navigation bars (when >> needed), >> list boxes, pop ups, etc. necessary to let the user carry out the >> activities >> the form is designed to perform. >> Where necesary the form may contain my own (not Access) message boxes >> intrusive - ".....Sorry cannot do that..." and nonintrusive - ".... Are you >> sure? Continue Y/N?" >> >> As most of you have probably done, I will design what I thought was a >> pretty cool form, but a week later when I go back to continue my testing, >> the form just doesn't seem to flow the way it should (not intuitive). So I >> tear apart and rebuild it and start again. >> >> Nothing new here, just my 2 cents worth. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> AccessD mailing list >> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >> >> -- >> AccessD mailing list >> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >> >> -- >> AccessD mailing list >> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >> > -- > AccessD mailing list > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com