Recognition to Expectation in Interface Elements

User Interface December 13, 2007

As computer users, we've grown accustomed to various interface elements. We can recognize what action to take when we see certain things. For example, we know that a right arrow usually means if we click it, we will get some list of options that will drop down. Additionally if we see something that looks like a tab, we know our content will change if we click another. If we see a slider, this tells us we can adjust something to be more or less.

There's nothing novel about these elements; they are simply mimicking things we know from the real world. But for those who are not familiar with interface standards, it's hard to decide what actions to take. This is especially confusing if the interface elements are completely different than other applications.

In a few decades, it's highly possible that those of us who are computer savvy now are going to feel out of the loop when our kids come home with even crazier technologies. If that's the case, recognition should be the one thing that remains the same in all interfaces to come. Recognition and consistency.

The best way to become familiar with an interface is to click around and learn what certain things do. Then, as a user, you grow accustomed to expect certain things to happen when you perform certain actions.

This starts building your mental model of Goal + Action = Expectation. And as I've mentioned before, if you now come across an interface that goes against this equation, it's quite confusing. The older generation, who has less patience with technology and is a lot more hesitant to try things, will not enjoy this confusion. In fact, one slip can denounce any other learning that had taken place.

Think of the rat who's trained to press a lever and get food. After a few trials, he comes to expect food from his lever-pressing action. Then there may come a trial in which he presses the lever and nothing happens. If you've learned of any psychology, you'd know that this causes much distress in the animal. The rat becomes quite confused - and sometimes angry.

I'm not saying we're rats. Or maybe I am. Maybe this whole discussion speaks to our most primal instincts. Maybe the fact that we're more intelligent and can think a lot more deeply about problems than a rat is irrelevant.

Ensure when designing your interfaces that you stick to consistency. Before you create a new element (that may or may not do the same task as an existing element), think hard about why you're making something new and its potential consequences on the user's experience. After all, you don't want an unhappy rat.

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