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From: gilbert@hci.hw.ac.uk (Gilbert Cockton)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.news
Subject: Re: Toolkit for NeWS
Message-ID: <136@glenlivet.hci.hw.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 29-Oct-87 08:07:32 EST
Article-I.D.: glenlive.136
Posted: Thu Oct 29 08:07:32 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 4-Nov-87 04:44:53 EST
References: <8710202033.AA00500@linc.cis.upenn.edu>
Reply-To: gilbert@hci.hw.ac.uk (Gilbert Cockton)
Organization: Scottish HCI Centre
Lines: 37

In article <8710202033.AA00500@linc.cis.upenn.edu> Bodick@CIS.UPENN.EDU (Andre Marquis) writes:
>
>User interface consistency is the most important part of an application.
>
Does the author really believe this, or is it polemic?

Assuming the former, it must be said that functionality still remains
important, AS important as usability. The two should be given equal
weighting, and their interaction noted (some functionalities may
support identical tasks, but one may support many of the tasks better
than the others - logical sufficiency isn't the end of the story).

Secondly, consistency between interactive applications is more than
skin deep, and cannot be guaranteed by anything as superficial as a
widget toolkit. Toolkits, if well-designed and properly evaluated, can
improve usability by supporting a well-defined area of consistent
behaviour across applications. In no way does widget behaviour
constitute anything near the total behaviour of an interactive
application.

Returning to the design and evaluation qualification. Any old toolkit
will not guarantee usability. Most of the emerging toolkits have been
hacked out, not properly designed and evaluated. Even much of the Mac's
superior tooling is due to direct use of Xerox results, and many of the
Mac departures from Star have obviously not been through a Human
Factors evaluation (no control over menu selection flashing until last
OS release, very non-WYSIWYG dialogue boxes - fancy hiding text out of
sight!).

So please, don't rush out the toolkits. De facto standards are the last
thing which real users need. I'm willing to live with inconsistencies
until widget design matures from a hacker's game into controlled,
user-centred process.
-- 
   Gilbert Cockton, Scottish HCI Centre, Ben Line Building, Edinburgh, EH1 1TN
   JANET:  gilbert@uk.ac.hw.hci    ARPA:   gilbert%hci.hw.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk
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