"how much time does it take on first use to spot a button"
We need to help first time users work out how to use our software, but I don't follow the logic on why we should prioritise around this. I get that we can lose users early on if they are confused by our apps, but that's not the full picture.
For a regular-use app (such as email in the example), what % of a user's time is spent as a new user, vs time spent as a no-longer-new user? Obviously over the lifetime of an app the amount of time spent as a new user is far less than that spent as a non-new user. After a few uses I know where the button is. But the design compromises (eg less space in the UI for content due to the oversize button) persist.
At some point the training wheels on the bike stop helping and start hindering.
This is the same gripe I have with the argument for UI animations "informing the user about what's happening". macOS (which stands out due to its refusal to just add a preference to fully disable animations) has educated me on the concept that an app minimises 'into the dock where it lives' many thousands of times now. I get it, honestly.
Maybe the solution is to have the UI grow in complexity as the user becomes more familiar? After the enlarged 'send' button has been clicked 5 times, reduce its size... maybe even do this gradually, a couple of pixels per click until it reaches 'expert size'. Or have an internal list of user actions and once a few of them have been completed offer to put the UI into intermediate mode?
I love hearing about stuff like this. Sounds like a fun device, weird niche and interesting to know there's some hackability. I appreciate your writing up your findings on the github too, thanks!
I'm Mark, I've over 20 years industry experience working with startups, household names, solo entrepreneurs. I live semi off-grid in my touring caravan, currently in South Wales. I've been working on my own open source projects for a while and want to get back amongst it.
Non-code skills:
- Communication: translate ideas from inside your head into a buildable plan
- Manage expectations, understand priorities, keep you in the loop
- I'm a generalist from art/design origins
Linux/Windows/Android/MacOS/iOS.
Interested in repairability and getting the most out of cheaper, lower-powered devices.
Seeking:
- Short-term, full-time projects
- Longer part-time commitments (eg 1-2 days a week, few hours a month, retainer)
- Agency overspill
- Open to other ideas!
I think a significant difference is that in the early days, the content was predominantly text, with styling/images/multimedia to embellish the content. But today it feels like a large proportion of websites put the embellishments first, the text content is thin and you often have to hunt it out.
Of course the web has evolved and has uses other than reading/absorbing information (some of them great) and multimedia content is valid, but it does seem to have become harder to find substance in amongst all the style.
When I'm surfing the web it's still usually words that I'm looking for. I think that may be going out of fashion.
As a perennial non-Apple-person I pushed myself to confront the idea that if I want to develop for Apple platforms (and I do), I should be comfortable with their devices and probably own one, so that I can experience my software in the way my intended users will.
So I bought a Macbook, cheap with a smashed screen, in order to cut off its head and use it as a build machine.
I wrote about it, it got long, I don't know who if anybody has the time or inclination to read about such things, but here it is...
I'm Mark, I've over 20 years industry experience working with everyone from startups to household names to solo entrepreneurs. I live semi off-grid in my touring caravan, currently in South Wales.
I love coding, but also understand that soft skills are essential:
- Communication to help convert ideas from your head into something which can be coded
- Expectation management
- Rational prioritisation
- To raise issues when they become significant, not leave them to the last minute and cause panic
I prefer Linux but am comfortable with Windows/Android/MacOS/iOS. I maintain at least 1 working device for each of those OSes, so on multi-platform projects I can test on the real thing).
I'm into repairability and getting the most out of cheaper, lower-powered devices.
I'm looking for:
- Short-term, full-time projects
- Longer part-time commitments (eg 1-2 days a week, few hours a month on retainer)
- Open to other ideas!
I've been working on my own open source projects for a while and want to get back on a team.
Location: South Wales, UK
Remote: Any
Willing to relocate: Possibly
Technologies:
- Vanilla JavaScript (with JsDoc type annotations)/HTML/CSS
- Flutter/Dart
- Monkey C (Garmin)
- Hugo/Go
- WordPress
- Python
- PHP
- Sqlite/SQL
Résumé/CV: mm-dev.rocks/mm-dev-cv.pdf
Email: In CV
I'm Mark, I've over 20 years industry experience working with all sorts, from startups to household names to solo entrepreneurs. I live semi off-grid (with electricity and internet of course!) in my touring caravan, currently in South Wales.
Although I love coding, I understand that soft skills are essential. Communication: to help convert ideas from a person's head into something which can be structured as code, and to properly manage expectations. To prioritise rationally. To raise issues when they become significant, not leave them to the last minute and cause panic.
Although I prefer Linux, I'm comfortable with Windows/Android/MacOS/iOS and maintain at least 1 working device for each of those OSes (so on multi-platform projects I can test on the real thing).
I'm particularly into repairability and getting the most out of cheaper, lower-powered devices.
I'm looking for short-term, full-time projects, or longer part-time commitments (eg 1-2 days a week, few hours a month on retainer) but am open to other ideas.
The main downside is probably that it doesn't automatically share data between devices, but it's fine for me as I just use it on my main work PC.
It can save/load data to files so I have an `inotifywait` script watching my Downloads folder. When I save/download a file from the app it automatically gets backed up to cloud storage.
I'm not sure how usable it might be for people. I've made a start on hints/instructions but that part of it is pretty threadbare as I've not got around to sharing it with others yet.
We need to help first time users work out how to use our software, but I don't follow the logic on why we should prioritise around this. I get that we can lose users early on if they are confused by our apps, but that's not the full picture.
For a regular-use app (such as email in the example), what % of a user's time is spent as a new user, vs time spent as a no-longer-new user? Obviously over the lifetime of an app the amount of time spent as a new user is far less than that spent as a non-new user. After a few uses I know where the button is. But the design compromises (eg less space in the UI for content due to the oversize button) persist.
At some point the training wheels on the bike stop helping and start hindering.
This is the same gripe I have with the argument for UI animations "informing the user about what's happening". macOS (which stands out due to its refusal to just add a preference to fully disable animations) has educated me on the concept that an app minimises 'into the dock where it lives' many thousands of times now. I get it, honestly.
Maybe the solution is to have the UI grow in complexity as the user becomes more familiar? After the enlarged 'send' button has been clicked 5 times, reduce its size... maybe even do this gradually, a couple of pixels per click until it reaches 'expert size'. Or have an internal list of user actions and once a few of them have been completed offer to put the UI into intermediate mode?