Text in Interfaces

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Text in Interfaces

• How to choose labels and names?
• Lexical ambiguity
• Frequency of use
• Semantic priming
• Context

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When you turn on your computer, it will first
run through the POST () ASUS (2001). Notebook
PC Users Manual, p. 94
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When you turn on your computer, it will first
run through the POST () ASUS (2001). Notebook
PC Users Manual, p. 94
POST
High-frequency meaning
Medium-frequency meaning
Low-frequency meaning
In social group of non-expert users!
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When you turn on your computer, it will first
run through the POST () ASUS (2001). Notebook
PC Users Manual, p. 94
POST
Medium-frequency meaning
Low-frequency meaning
High-frequency meaning
In social group of expert users!
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The less you know (novice), the more you rely on
context.
If no context is provided, the dictionary
meanings become active.
Like computers, users become error-prone with
ambiguities.
Semantic priming is the solution.
Lock
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The less you know (novice), the more you rely on
context.
If no context is provided, the dictionary
meanings become active.
Like computers, users become error-prone with
ambiguities.
Semantic priming is the solution.
Prime
BIOS Setup
Lock
Physical lock
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The less you know (novice), the more you rely on
context.
If no context is provided, the dictionary
meanings become active.
Like computers, users become error-prone with
ambiguities.
Semantic priming is the solution.
Prime
Case sensitive
Lock
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The less you know (novice), the more you rely on
context.
If no context is provided, the dictionary
meanings become active.
Like computers, users become error-prone with
ambiguities.
Semantic priming is the solution.
Prime
Browse
Lock
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The less you know (novice), the more you rely on
context.
If no context is provided, the dictionary
meanings become active.
Like computers, users become error-prone with
ambiguities.
Semantic priming is the solution.
Prime
Calculator
Lock
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The same is valid for (linear) menu systems.
Tools
Car mechanic ??
Macro
What is big?
Visual Basic Editor
Editor is text not visual?!
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(No Transcript)
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This is a screenshot from the draaiboek of the
multimedia spectacle play Faust (Almere, 2002) by
director Bert Barten. The photo is by Ruud Gort.
Barten works out his plays in Microsoft Excel.
Under Tools, the menu has Scenarios What is the
first meaning that will come to mind to the
director? What is the first meaning coming to
mind to an interaction designer? What to an
econometrist? What is the intended meaning of the
menu-text writer?
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Synonyms Same problem, the other way round
Ambiguity One word pointing at two
meanings Synonyms Two words, pointing at one
meaning
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Random trial-and-error is a low level problem
solving strategy but commonly found with
non-expert users of interactive systems
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Recommendations

• Know your user group
• (novices vs. experts)
• Labels are short
• Yet, avoid ambiguity
• Dont use synonyms
• Labels are self-explicating

• Otherwise, labels should prime high-frequency
  meanings
• Use context cues
• (Word processor activates different
  associations than Spreadsheet)

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Homework Read the file Choosing your words in
interface design and make the exercises