Type | Book |
---|---|
Date | 1988 |
Pages | 257 |
Tags | nonfiction, interface design |
It is important that our explanations for things be correct, not merely convincing or reassuring:
Once we have an explanation—correct or incorrect—for otherwise discrepant or puzzling events, there is no more puzzle, no more discrepancy. As a result, we are complacent, at least for a while.
On confirmation and undo:
In computer systems, it is common to prevent errors by requiring confirmation before a command will be executed, especially when the action will destroy a file. But the request is ill timed; it comes just after the person has initiated the action and is still fully content with the choice. It would be more appropriate to eliminate irreversible actions: in this example, the request to remove a file would be handled by the computer's moving the file to some temporary holding place. Then the user would have time for reconsideration and recovery.
Term | Location |
---|---|
hypertext | 212–213 |
Name | Role |
---|---|
BasicBooks | Publisher |
Donald A. Norman | Author |