Unexpected behaviour is a user-centered design issue. It is where you get, well, unexpected behaviour. Imagine clicking on a link that says “Search” and it takes you back to the site home page. Hmm. Oh wait, in the top right hand corner of the home page there is a search widget. If you miss it, or even if you don’t, you will be annoyed because the system behaviour was unexpected. Other examples of unexpected behaviour include:
- random popups,
- hellish MIDI muzak when entering a site,
- the Blue Screen of Death, and
- zero response on an action (like clicking “OK” and nothing seems to happen).
I’ve been banging on about unexpected behaviour as an issue for years now. Others (like Jeff Johnson in GUI Bloopers
This morning I had to look through an interface provided by some system integrators for a project I’m working on. There was not a single menu item that linked through to a screen of the same name. Not one.
This is basic UCD101 stuff - it is not rocket science, it has been known about for years, so why do people still do it?
A lot of it comes down to “you can only know what you only know” - and this is why there are specialist designers and usability professionals whose job it is to watch such things. Expecting system integrators and coders to get this stuff is like expecting your GP to perform open heart surgery - sure, both the General Practitioner and the heart surgeon are doctors, but both have their areas of specialisation.
1 Response to “Danger UXB| Why is UneXpected Behaviour still a problem?”