("Provide a color
palette and design for buttons that are purely highlighted links, to
distinguish them from actual UI buttons") which I think needs designer and
developer input.
On Mon, Oct 26, 2015 at 12:43 PM, Pau Giner <pginer(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:
I think one of the underlying aspects here is the idea
of side-effects and
safe navigation.
We learnt by using the web that buttons and links had generally different
expectations. Links have been used for navigation purposes, while buttons
are associated with commands which affect the status of the system. These
associations make us to click links without having to fear any unexpected
change in the system. This allows to navigate more fluently when those
assumptions are met, and get into trouble when those are broken (e.g., a
delete link in the middle of other navigation links).
I think the purpose of colour buttons is to set similar expectations. We
highlight the next logical step and indicate whether some new content will
be created (green) or destroyed (red) as an outcome. Creating and deleting
content, even if these actions can be undone seems worth some
considerations in an environment where content is public and edited
collaboratively by many.
So I think that setting these expectations is useful on helping the user
to determine on which decisions to put more thought and which ones to do
more fluently.
I think we can design great experiences with or without this pattern, but
this is a pattern that requires to be applied consistently to work. We need
to consider also that the resulting effects on the user affect more their
intuition than their conscious thoughts. So while I think it can improve
the user experience, it is not something easy to test just by asking if the
user can figure out why the button is green instead of blue, even less if
the user has not been exposed to a consistent application of the pattern
for a while.
If the problem is that it is not easy to be applied consistently, we may
consider clarifying the guidelines to indicate the cases where each one
should use with as unambiguous definitions and clear examples as possible.
Google use of colour buttons has been mentioned. In this talk
<https://vimeo.com/29965463> (at 26:40) the code colour they used is
explained: red for creating something, blue for do/confirm actions such as
search, and green fro actions with an audience such as share. The fact
Google has been using this approach does not mean that we need to follow,
but it illustrates that associating colours to certain types of actions is
not an unprecedented idea in the design of user interfaces.
Pau
On Sat, Oct 24, 2015 at 2:02 AM, Isarra Yos <zhorishna(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On 23/10/15 18:28, S Page wrote:
Obviously design is for users. But having a
pleasant productive time
using a design and understanding its nuances are very different things.
"Testing with your users to see if they understand the difference between
[two button colors]" seems crazy (unless I misunderstand what designers
mean by "understand"). Does Google test to see if users understand the
difference between the rounded edge and the shadowed edge in Material? I
really doubt it. Different colors and treatments provide different
experiences, and there are guidelines when to use them.
That's nuances, details. Nevermind nuances. The question here is, on
whatever level, does the distinction help the user? Have users noticed that
there is a difference? Has it meant anything to them? Has anyone looked
into this?
If it's shown to help, that's all we need. We have a justification for
the maintenance overhead and stuff. And cookies. Always cookies. We should
all go get some cookies.
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Pau Giner
Senior User Experience Designer
Wikimedia Foundation
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