Interface apparency
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Interface apparency refers to the degree to which the user interface enables a user to understand hidden contingencies within a computer system. In other words, how easy it is for a person coming upon an interface (a website, a computer program, or a kiosk) to understand the sequence of steps to perform a complex action using that interface.
Spatial Visualization Ability helps to predict which users will be bothered by low levels of apparency in an interface; the higher a person's spatial visualization ability, the less trouble he or she will have with an interface with hidden dependencies.
[edit] Introduction
Alonso and Norman (1998) define interface apparency as visually showing hidden relationships in the interface. In situations where certain options are unavailable or greyed-out, it may be unclear what circumstances would allow those options to be available. For instance, if one is using a text editor, the "Delete" option may be unavailable because no text is selected, or if no text is on the clipboard, "Paste" may be greyed-out.
[edit] Recommendations
Having hidden dependencies between actions in an application is generally a bad idea; increasing the apparency of a website or piece of application software should improve performance for all users.
[edit] References
- Alonso, D.L. (1998). The effects of individual differences in spatial visualization ability on dual-task performance (Dissertation) (HTML). Retrieved on 2006-05-14.
- Alonso, D.L. and Norman, K.L. (1998). "Apparency of contingencies in single panel and pull-down menus". Int. J. Human-Computer Studies 49 (1): 59 – 78.
