How do you simplify complex operations in an interactive design?

As an interactive designer you may listen to the product manager said: "Our product payment success rate is very low, many users down the single, but did not complete payment, good depressed." "or" to hear the user feedback is very difficult to use, the operation is very complex, what should I do? "Today is a good way to introduce a few ways to simplify complex operations >>>

The next thing you want to do is to simplify the complex operation process.

　　1, reduce redundant steps and interference items

The ability of people to process information, learn rules, and memorize details is limited, and the more options and the longer the process, the more attention and understanding the user needs to consume. The more choices a person faces, the longer it takes to make a decision. Complex operational processes are often derived from redundant steps and distractors.

The following figure is the micro-letter payment and Alipay payment interface. Two interface is to allow users to enter a six-digit password, the only difference is that Alipay in the input password, to click to determine to pay, and micro-letter input password directly after payment. Although only a small difference in the operation, but in the feeling, still feel the micro-letter experience more fluid.

One more operation, which means one more shift in attention, reducing an unnecessary step and making the user feel much easier to operate.

Another example: A Columbia University professor has set up a free tasting booth in a supermarket. In the first Saturday, 24 flavors of jam were provided for people to taste, while the other Saturday offered only 6 flavors. Surprisingly, on display with 24 flavors, 60% of the customers stopped at the booth and participated in the free tasting activities, 3% of whom bought the merchandise, and in only 6 flavors, 40% of the customers took part in the free tasting activities, but 30% of them bought the product. The conversion rate of the latter is 10 times times that of the former!

Offering a number of options seems to give users more choice, allowing them to control the situation, but if you exceed a certain limit, especially if a lot of options are similar, it will put a burden on the user.

The following figure is for two alarm clock applications, one provides a very powerful function, there are many ways to repeat an alarm when you set it: daily, certain days of the week, certain days of the week and Group N Holidays, only group n holidays, every n days, one day of the month, and one day of the month of Nth week ... The other is simply to allow users to choose a few repetitions per week. If it were you, what would you like?

When I set up the first alarm clock I almost went mad, so many options left me at a loss, operating efficiency greatly reduced. I don't know what it means to have "some days of the week and the nth group of holidays", or to set the alarm to "get up the alarm clock," "Nap Alarm," and "clock off", as long as it can ring at the set time. When using the second paragraph, it will feel simple and clear, easy to operate.

　　2. Transfer complex operations to the system

Each process has its inherent complexity, whether in the product development process or in the interaction between users and products, this inherent complexity can not disappear according to our wishes, can only try to adjust, balance. Complexity has a tipping point beyond which the process can no longer be simplified, and you can only move the inherent complexity from one place to another. For example, if you want to make a dish, you must wash vegetables and cut vegetables, this complex process can not be skipped, but we may also buy the washing of good cut vegetables, the complex transfer to the merchant.

What if it has arrived at this critical point in the interactive design? We can transfer complex operations from the user to the system, allowing the machine to operate in lieu of the user.

In Google Map, if users want to query the line, it is important to enter the starting point and end point, this is the process can not be omitted. However, when querying the route, Google map uses the positioning function to automatically position the starting point as "my location", reducing the user's action.

In fact, the transfer of complex operations to the system is to make the machine more intelligent, this is the development of science and technology people have been doing one thing. Whether it is to record the user name and password, automatically identify the city of the user's IP, automatic complement the common interactive design details, or Google Glass smart glasses, can automatically drive smart cars and other High-tech products, are increased the workload of engineers, the complex transfer to the system, To make the software easier to use, so that tens of thousands of users to reduce the extra pay.

　　3. Simplified operation mode

Remember how we used mobile phones a few years ago? To select a feature, you need to move around the top and bottom of the "arrow keys", and then press "Confirm key" when the focus moves to the function you want to select. And now, when we use a smartphone, we want to choose which application, just click directly with the finger can be, the operation process greatly simplified.

When we were browsing the web, what would happen when we saw a word that wanted to learn more? I saw a book in an article called Super finishing, and I didn't know what the book was about and wanted to know. So I select these words, click the right mouse button to copy, in the browser to create a new tab, open Google, in the Search bar right button paste, click the Search button. After this series of operations, I finally saw in the search results page about the book introduction, evaluation, purchase information and so on. In fact, this whole process will only take dozens of seconds of time, operation does not feel too difficult. Until one day, when I was using the Chrome browser, I found that under the copy operation, there is a "Google search for ' xxx '" option, just click on this option, the browser will automatically pop up a tab page, the results I want to search out. "Check-Right copy-new window-open web-paste-search" This complex process becomes "checked-right click on Google search", only two steps to complete the task easily.

　　4, optimize the operation process

At school, every time the use of the school Office system is a torment. When I fill out a long form, carefully verify the information of the students, fill out the verification code, click Submit, suddenly the system prompts the verification code to fill in the error, the previously completed items are all cleared. I want to rework the form again, this time will be more cautious than the first time, for fear of filling out a wrong option, but after filling out the pop-up box, told me to fill out the study number needs to be case-sensitive, turn off the error is once again empty ...

Do not get feedback in the operation, and then fill in the error, more terrible than the redundancy of the operation process. The inadequacy of these details also increases the complexity of the operation. Users simply fill out the form once, fill in the error only need to modify an option, but due to the design of the problem, users need to fill out two or even three times the form, which also greatly increased the complexity of the operation. The lack of various small details in the interface, like the deceleration belt on the highway, will reduce the efficiency of the user.

Providing appropriate preferences, timely help, timely feedback, providing reasonable defaults, and so on, can help users prevent errors and enable them to accomplish tasks faster and more smoothly.

When iOS updates the system, it detects the user's power ahead of time and prompts the user to plug in the ipad if the battery is not enough to support the update. Imagine what it would be like without this reminder? The user spends a lot of time downloading the update, and when it is installed, it shuts down due to power failure, and the user needs to connect and renew it again. Although there are no redundant steps in the process of updating, repeated operations due to lack of advance hints can complicate the operation process.

Products that benefit from simplifying complex operating processes abound: fast payments make many payment applications pay a higher rate of success; The rapid registration of mobile phones and the use of other social networking sites account for many of the site's registration conversion rate. If a product to simplify the original intention of the interactive design, to the user a simple and direct operation process, users will certainly like your products.