Term of the Moment
handshaking
Definition: user interface
The way a person interacts and commands a computer, tablet, smartphone or other electronic device. The user interface (UI) comprises the screen menus and icons, keyboard shortcuts, mouse and gesture movements, command language and online help.
The Bar Was Set Low
The user interface is the most important and least-understood area in the tech industry. Every application has only a handful of basic functions that users need all the time, yet they are often buried in unintuitive submenus. Worse yet, once bad examples are set by major vendors, others follow like sheep (see Control key). Since popular applications are often hard to learn, users have come to expect that software has to be difficult, when in fact, it could be downright simple if educated designers were involved.
Command Line vs. GUI
The user interface in the earliest computers comprised buttons and dials. Although the first personal computers had screens, the computer was operated by typing text commands. Starting with the Mac in 1984 and Windows 3.0 in 1990, the mouse-oriented graphical user interface (GUI) emerged, which simulates a desktop environment. See GUI and desktop environment.
The Smartphone; a Glimmer of Light
The phone's small screen forces designers to think more about usability, but not always. Smartphone apps can be as obtuse as desktop programs, generally because they are designed with little regard for all the other apps people use. All apps have similar functions, but one requires tapping an icon, another requires opening a menu while yet another requires switching to a different screen. See good user interface, first-time user menu and dynamic user menu.
Users Hate to Change
Because the learning curve required to use software is sometimes steep, the thought of changing applications is not always met with enthusiasm. While the software industry touts "productivity gains" for every new product, the frustration figuring out how to do the same function you did in a previous version creates a reluctance to try something new in the first place.
Just Tell It What to Do
In the future, natural language recognition will replace a great amount of keyboard and mouse drudgery. In the meantime, a well-designed user interface goes a long way to making electronic life easier. See RTFM, user experience, naming fiascos, Freedman's law, flat UI, Web rage, HCI and HMI.
It Changed World History
Give Us A Break!
Read the Manual
Keep the Elevator Door Open
A Century of Experience Didn't Help
No Kidding
"An" Error
Pure Gibberish
More Gibberish
I Thought My Phone Was a Samsung Note II
Really?
Da Fup What??
OK. Bad Formula. But Where?
Remote Controls Are No Exception
Touch Typist Torment
Can't We Agree on Anything
Ya Gotta Be Kidding
Even in 2020
This Happens All the Time
Priceless
The Bar Was Set Low
The user interface is the most important and least-understood area in the tech industry. Every application has only a handful of basic functions that users need all the time, yet they are often buried in unintuitive submenus. Worse yet, once bad examples are set by major vendors, others follow like sheep (see Control key). Since popular applications are often hard to learn, users have come to expect that software has to be difficult, when in fact, it could be downright simple if educated designers were involved.
Command Line vs. GUI
The user interface in the earliest computers comprised buttons and dials. Although the first personal computers had screens, the computer was operated by typing text commands. Starting with the Mac in 1984 and Windows 3.0 in 1990, the mouse-oriented graphical user interface (GUI) emerged, which simulates a desktop environment. See GUI and desktop environment.
The Smartphone; a Glimmer of Light
The phone's small screen forces designers to think more about usability, but not always. Smartphone apps can be as obtuse as desktop programs, generally because they are designed with little regard for all the other apps people use. All apps have similar functions, but one requires tapping an icon, another requires opening a menu while yet another requires switching to a different screen. See good user interface, first-time user menu and dynamic user menu.
Users Hate to Change
Because the learning curve required to use software is sometimes steep, the thought of changing applications is not always met with enthusiasm. While the software industry touts "productivity gains" for every new product, the frustration figuring out how to do the same function you did in a previous version creates a reluctance to try something new in the first place.
Just Tell It What to Do
In the future, natural language recognition will replace a great amount of keyboard and mouse drudgery. In the meantime, a well-designed user interface goes a long way to making electronic life easier. See RTFM, user experience, naming fiascos, Freedman's law, flat UI, Web rage, HCI and HMI.
The Florida recount in the 2000 U.S. presidential election kept the country in limbo for weeks. The confusing user interface in Florida's Palm Beach County punch card ballot gave Pat Buchanan two thousand votes that very likely might have gone to Al Gore.
Our dazzling HDTVs do not prevent ridiculous button naming. This family's salvation was to attach labels on their remote control.
Was there a contest for how ridiculous one could name folders in this camera's memory card (right column)? Is something wrong with just plain Still, Movie, Audio, and Email? See RTFM.
The big red button that immediately catches your eye in this building elevator is for an exceedingly rare emergency. Courteous people are always scrambling to stop the door from closing on someone, but "Door Open" is hardly ever quickly visible. Wouldn't "Big Red" be better as "Door Open?"
With a combined 100+ years of audio experience, Alan Freedman, author of this encyclopedia (right) and his colleague Pete Hermsen, who built a radio at age eight, struggled in vain to balance the speakers on Freedman's new A/V receiver. The manual was worthless. See RTFM.
After changing a password on a website, this user-friendly message appeared. Translated: "we don't have a clue how our software got you here!"
Could you be a tad more specific? Unfortunately, meaningless messages like this are quite common, but it is only due to laziness on the part of the developer.
All this convoluted Windows message means is "updates cannot be installed because there is no Internet connection." However, every now and then, Microsoft leads the pack (see good user interface).
Microsoft loves obtuse error numbers, which tells the user absolutely nothing in this case. Bad password? Bad user name? What's going on here?
Why not identify the device by its common name? Samsung woke up later on and displayed the model name everyone knows.
This popped up on an old Android phone. The testing of this software was a bit lax.
This message means "Allow nearby devices to access your device?" See Device Association Framework.
This spreadsheet explains the type of error but not which cells are the problem. In other words "one of your cells contains an error but we're not gonna tellya which one."
Remote control designs are all over the place. Even the volume and channel buttons can be anywhere (red arrows point to Volume Up).
Any touch typist not noticing that the Up Arrow key was in the Right Shift key location would return this laptop immediately. The buyer of this machine actually did.
Two wireless charging stations. One displays a red light when charging, the other displays green.
These examples clearly indicate that the programmers writing the code have no clue what could have happened at this point in their programs.
Why display an error number when this Zoom message means "enable either a passcode or waiting room." Just say it.
After attempting to sign up for the service, we are told an email already exists and five seconds later told it does not exist. This blunder, which is simply poor programming, is sadly all too common on countless websites.
Not related to tech but so silly we had to include it. These instructions were on a charcoal grill.