Universal GUI

[Dar Scott]

On Monday, July 28, 2003, at 10:25 AM, Dan Shafer wrote:

> This is part of another key UI design concept: progressive discovery. 
> Only show the user as much of the UI as is needed to accomplish the 
> immediate objective. Several Claris products 15 years ago, for which 
> the UI was designed by one world-class designer, demonstrated this 
> brilliantly. Why should I even have to look at the checkbox and have 
> it clutter my use of the program if it's not relevant to my current 
> situation? No value. No reason for it to be there.

I find this style frustrating.

I look everywhere trying to set up something only to discover I only 
had to check some box with some cryptic description to make that setup 
visible.  And then a week or season later I have to do it all over 
again because I forgot the trick.

Or I don't even think to look for that capability because I never think 
to check "compatibility features" or some checkbox.

I prefer a setup panel show me what it can do rather than make me tease 
it out of it.  My brain can easily skip over a block of disabled 
controls.  Even when I look at them, they provide information about the 
nature of that checkbox or radio button.

Or maybe I don't understand your point.

Dar Scott