On Nov 18, 2005, at 12:59 PM, Brad Lauster wrote:
So the questions is: Should Chandler look the same on all platforms?
Thankfully, several people have already pointed out that the visual
design of the interface has less to do with the application's
overall usability than other aspects of the design: namely, its
information architecture (labeling and navigation) and interaction
design (behavior).
When people talk about "look and feel," they are usually only
thinking about the visual design. The visual design, which includes
the overall look of the interface, but also specific things like
placement of buttons, really only addresses the "look." The "feel"
is determined by how the application behaves when you're using it.
(My take on this appears to be out of alignment with Mimi's - she
says "basic interaction" includes "placement of Okay, Cancel
buttons..." I argue that placement is also visual design.)
Button placement may be visual design, but it should be immutable
based on the platform you're on, because it figures significantly
into the 'feel' of the application. On Win32, the cancel button is
the rightmost button, and the OK button is to its' immediate left.
On MacOS, the OK button is the rightmost button, with the Cancel
button immediately to its' left. Application designers who care
about 'feel' have no latitude on the placement of these buttons.
Flipping them because you like it 'visually' isn't going to help the
user who has been trained to their position through every other
application on their platform. Button placement has a lot more to do
with 'feel' than 'look'.
--
Nick
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