Slide 24
Slide 24 text
consistency
Monday, 8 August 2011
consistency means using the same design elements across devices. that could be the same functionality, layout, visual styling, words,
labels, and logical structure to tasks.
this is a challenge when a service works across different devices with different UIs and capabilities: for example, a PC, a touchscreen
phone, and a household device. certain elements need to be the same, or it won’t feel like the same service and you’d have to learn
how to do everything from scratch on every device. but certain elements won’t make sense, or feel right on different devices.
consistency for consistency’s sake isn’t good. a big part of the challenge in cross platform design is working out what’s appropriate,
and the more different types of device you have, perhaps some without screens, the harder that gets.
we’re still investigating this but my feeling so far is that the most important thing is to be appropriate to the device. your phone does
not have to pretend to be a washing machine in order to control a washing machine. you don’t have to replicate the entire washing
machine UI on the phone, push buttons, dials and all. the phone doesn’t have to make the same beeps as the machine - it should
make phone like noises (perhaps a sound that’s associated with other home automation services you have). but you should at least
label the wash programs the same, and maintain the same logic of tasks: don’t turn w machine on by entering program then go on
device but other way round on phone). and of course, doing the same thing has to have the same result.
[music software - represent a mixing desk, or use ableton live - completely different metaphor]
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studies show there is some tolerance for inconsistency. it’s secondary: it helps the service feel like a coherent experience.
According to a study by Wäljas et al [1], users do not comment on consistency; it may be a secondary factor contributing to the
overall coherence of user experience.