Efficient user interfaces

Question

Speed and learnability do not directly fight each other, but it seems easy enough to design such a GUI that lacks either (or both) of them. GUI designers seem to prefer \'easy t

Answer 1

The main thing to be careful of is putting UI elements where they are most commonly located for other applications in that environment. For example, if you're going to make use of a menu system, people are accustomed to it being along top of the window by default for a desktop application. If you're in a web browser a menu system on a webpage seems out of place because it's not a consistent feature. If you're going to have an options/preferences configuration window, people are used to finding it under the Tools menu option, occasionally under the Edit menu. The main thing with keeping a UI "easy to learn" is that your UI elements shouldn't break the mold too much of how they're used in other applications.

If you haven't had the opportunity to see Mark Miller's presentation on The Science of Great User Experience, I'd recommend you watch the DNR TV episodes Part 1 and Part 2.