Jan
31
I realize that AJAX is all the rage now, and that the basic principles of computer programming when accepting incoming data is to verify the data (and filter it, in case of a database layer). But, where do we stop, or where do we switch from ease of use to completely dumbing down the interface? Are we really dumbing down the interface, or are we reinventing the GUI?
Personally I feel that some internet based "applications" (scripts are technically more correct, no matter how many lines of code it is) are more user friendly than compiled software based counterparts. Aside from that fact, how much do we, the designers, developers, and programmers have to go to make such things easy to use?
Awhile ago, I was asked to change an implementation of a simple email form so that the FROM address isn't labelled with the actual person's name. It was too confusing, they didn't know who they were mailing a reply to (as in, the email was contained in the person's name, Outlook and other clients will hide such information if there is associated metadata that can hold the actual email address in). So, I had to take out that nicety in favor of the "I don't understand" crowd. It's a simple enough fix, and I understand the logic, but...are we teaching them anything about how to properly navigate the internet by succumbing to their whims?
Everything seems to be about usability, but I just have to wonder if we're making things a bit too dumbed down by following the programmers' creed of "assume user stupidity", and in so many different solutions to this problem, we're all creating our own personalized "standardized" approach to it, thusly creating different user experiences. We teach them one thing with our AJAX versioning, then they go somewhere else and it's all different. So, are we really helping them or not?
Awhile ago, I was asked to change an implementation of a simple email form so that the FROM address isn't labelled with the actual person's name. It was too confusing, they didn't know who they were mailing a reply to (as in, the email was contained in the person's name, Outlook and other clients will hide such information if there is associated metadata that can hold the actual email address in). So, I had to take out that nicety in favor of the "I don't understand" crowd. It's a simple enough fix, and I understand the logic, but...are we teaching them anything about how to properly navigate the internet by succumbing to their whims?
Everything seems to be about usability, but I just have to wonder if we're making things a bit too dumbed down by following the programmers' creed of "assume user stupidity", and in so many different solutions to this problem, we're all creating our own personalized "standardized" approach to it, thusly creating different user experiences. We teach them one thing with our AJAX versioning, then they go somewhere else and it's all different. So, are we really helping them or not?
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