How to do the design according to the user's expectation

The most common design is the word "user expectations," but what exactly is the design that meets the expectations of the user? How to do it?

Each design has its own characteristics that cause it to have a certain hint, so that users feel that this thing should be used in this way, but when our design is not such support, then users will have confusion and complaints.

Example 1.

When participating in the design of mobile phone map, there is a design: at the top of the map has a search site search box, click it will lead to the right side of the page.

Clearly is an input box, but why not directly input? Go to the right page feeling is to enter another room, jump majority is not a good choice, because it cut off the http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/6579.html "> Users use the Fluency, That means the user's mind needs to be switched. The improvement should be directly on the map to input and display, so that there is better coherence, more important is the direct input is the basic properties of the input box, satisfied with this property is to meet user expectations.

Example 2.

In the QQ input method of the full keyboard in English mode, when you press a letter key, a box appears above the letter to display more symbols or letters, and at first glance it doesn't seem to be showing anything, but the problem is that when your fingers leave the pressed letters and want to naturally choose the other things that pop up above, The moment the finger is lifted away, the pop-up box has disappeared, and it is too late to choose.

How can we make a choice? Oh, ask the finger not to lift away directly from left and right drag selection-did not expect this operation! So the problem is this: it's a pop-up box, so why not wait for my finger to click on it and disappear? Such a window allows the user using the touchscreen to think it should be clickable.

Example 3.

In the choice of QQ Input method skin Bomb box appears,

The left soft key unexpected is not "OK", but "skin download", which appears to strengthen the skin download function, but makes this page the most important function: the choice of skin become weakened, even do not know how to choose skin. Would you think of a direct click to choose the skin? Because in the pop-up box the most natural way to confirm with the left button is changed. So when you change a design that has formed a pattern, if the change is not natural and straightforward, it is a violation of the user's expectations and becomes a powerful distraction.

This introduces a design principle called functional visibility (affordance) or anticipation.

What is affordance: things can be perceived, the most authentic attributes directly determine how it should be used. So how to do the design to meet the user's expectations?

1. Know who your target user is? What characteristics do they have? What kind of background do they have?

The user's psychological anticipation is directly related to his experience and knowledge, which is the mental modal he built. Only when the design conforms to his mental modal, then it is consistent with his expectation, such design is a good design, in other words, only the designer's designs mental modal more close to the user's mental modal can design the product close to the user.

2. Let the design and the outside information combine

For example, if you are designing a touch cell phone, use the touch screen feature to design-– Why is the long press of Android phone always criticized? Why does the iphone home key double click, but not easy to find? Because the user does not have any expectation to such operation, what operation after the long press, this user does not know. Can the home key double click? On the touch screen, double-click is very vague operation, does not conform to the user's use habits, and the click is direct, is the basic touch screen properties, do not need to think.

So it's a lot of time to think about whether our design conforms to its basic attributes and is used in its most natural way.

3. Can be checked by the current state of the user is very smooth completion of the task

4. What is his goal, whether the design will help him achieve his goals or hinder his goals

5. Did the design let him guess?

After so many years of design, sometimes it is intuitive to feel that there is a problem, but in fact, it is ultimately necessary to know in each detail its intrinsic basic attributes, only to meet the basic attributes to make the most perfect in line with the user's expected design.

(This article is from the Tencent CDC blog: http://cdc.tencent.com/?p=5396)