Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (11)-Reducing memory burden

It's written in front of you.

As for the practical Guide to interactive design, we have recently received feedback from many friends, supported and criticized, and thanks for your attention, we can go further. "Interactive Design Practical Guide" is actually collecting and summarizing some of the problems of interactive design, there must be a lot of old things, is not a cliché is not a problem, "the problem is that these old things have not been accumulated, has not been inherited, has not been structured." "(Qingyun)
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Science

The definition of "memory" in "Cihai" is: "The human Brain remembers, maintains, reproduces, or recognizes the things that have been experienced." ”
Memory is a very important psychological activity of human beings, which is the basis of many other thinking activities and behaviors. In all cognitive psychological activities, memory and software interaction are most closely related. The information that neurons in our brain reflects can be accurately presented again when needed, that is, the information genes stored on the DNA chain that guide the process of synthesizing information proteins and presenting them under appropriate conditions. In the perspective of information processing, we all care about how to find information, and find the results of information, it is the purpose of recognition, reappearance. In order of sequence, memory is divided into three types: sensory memory, short-term memory, long-term memory.

Because of the characteristics of Internet products, users usually use only sensory memory and short-term memory in the process of using. Sensory memory refers to the instantaneous memory (usually calculated in a fraction of a second) that occurs when an individual senses the stimuli by sensory organs such as sight, hearing, taste and smell. Sensory memory is left only at the sensory level, which, if not noticed, disappears immediately. The time of the sensory memory is very short, but in the experiment we will find that there is a temporary residual image after the visual stimulation, such as cartoon animation is a continuous static picture in front of us fast movement produced. In addition to the rest of the image, the sound will have a short period of time remaining, but lingering, the phenomenon only in a second, or even half a second to complete, so to improve memory or reduce the burden of memory has no meaning.

General short-term memory can only be kept for 20 seconds or so, the longest not more than a minute. How much information can we store in such a short time? The answer is 7±2, the 5~9 project, averaging 7 projects. This is the American psychologist John Miller in his paper "Magic Seven" confirmed. What does this seven mean? Seven digits, or seven names, or seven things? Actually, you can.

Custom

According to the common People's short-term memory storage rules, we bring the product to the user's memory challenge or difficulty is called the memory burden.
There are two kinds of burdens:
First, the product to the user's memory burden, including product content information, operating functions.
The second is the user's own memory burden, including personal information, security questions, input, the last operation, operation Flow, etc.

Analysis
1th, people's attention is concentrated and small in a short time, the user interface based on the recognition relies heavily on the visibility of the objects that users care about, and displaying too many objects and attributes makes it difficult for users to find objects of interest.
2nd, users do not like to often repeat the input of some information, such as personal accounts, security information, operating habits, the last operation behavior, and so on, these tasks occupy the user to complete other important tasks of time.
How to reduce the user's memory burden?

1. Use common interactive method and copy, strive for simplicity

American scientists have found that the brain "favours" more commonly used memory and operational forms, deliberately suppressing similar but infrequently used content in order to reduce cognitive burdens and prevent confusion. In a way, habit is a "familiar memory". Content that can not appear as much as possible does not appear, even if need to appear in the most concise way. (Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (4)-Simple and clear, naturally understandable)

The diagram above is a description of the process on a bank's web site, full of professional vocabulary and content that you don't need to remember. Personally think, since it is required offline processing process, as the most commonly used interactive mode and copy to explain. For example, learn about mobile companies: please go to the bank outlets, specific bank staff will elaborate. Then the bank issued a paper list, and no one else could remember so much electronic information.
2. Maintain proper correspondence
In the user's operation process, must maintain the correct correspondence relation, one process only one most important operation, one operation only has one result, the logic is clear, has first has after. For example, when the operation steps are prompt, strictly follow 12345 steps to arrange, can not jump to the 3rd step, a jump to the 2nd step. The flow of the corresponding relationship confusion will increase the user's memory burden.

Above is a description of the Novice's entry into the Flickr process.

3. Control the amount of information
Magic number-7, most cases, the user memory information in 7 plus minus 2, 1 memory is the most reliable, 3 clear, 7 more than the need to classify information to help users understand and memory. By means of reasonable design, the information can be effectively pushed to the user, or help the user to complete the task easily.

The rating system above has 10 options, and users need to be prompted to float the mouse on the ant icon when evaluating them. But there are 10 tips, the user is likely to see a few prompts have forgotten the first hint content, such a collection of evaluation is certainly inaccurate. One of the drawbacks of this interactive design case is that the information overload is too much for the user to remember. (Of course, there are other flaws, less obvious than the content display, inaccurate information transmission, etc.). )

4. Help users remember
Remember the user's actions and information, maintain the consistency of the operation to reduce the user's memory of different operations. We can first remember the user's behavior, let the user to modify his behavior. For example: After the user entered the password error, the refreshed login page still retains the user just entered the user name; many sites have to collect the user's personal data needs, there will be a status hint has been completed percentage, and to indicate what information needs to be improved, to help users remember unfinished operations and so on. These methods are helping users to remember, to reduce the burden of user memory.

Example above, is to help users remember the embodiment.

A little memory burden of the software products, it is certainly easier to get the user's favor. Reduce memory burden, for products and users, can enhance user stickiness, improve work efficiency, improve the success rate of the task. Interaction designers should be aware of these aspects when designing products in order to make the product more human and easy to use.

Source: http://ued.taobao.com/blog/2010/03/19/guyin3/

Extended reading:

Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (1) – "effective" "operational entry Clear"

Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (2) – "Availability"

Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (3)-"effective" "timely help"

Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (4)-"effectiveness" of "concise and clear, naturally understandable"

Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (5)-Highlight the focus, at a glance

Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (6) – Label clear and effective

Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (7) – Avoid getting lost

Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (8)-Deep breadth balance

Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (9)-click once

Interactive Design Practical Guide Series (10)-Don't make me think.