In my ongoing quest to understand the needs and motivations for user interface designs … I’ve stumbled across something that strikes me as both humorous and insightful, so I thought I’d share it with you: I’ve finally realized why computers only talk in the movies … even though they’re perfectly capable of talking in real life.
First of all, some computers do talk: telephone systems, and systems for handicapped users (or for specialized hands-free applications such as medical transcription systems) have been improving dramatically in recent years, and are quite capable, but are still rare and specialized … Even though your computer is quite capable of reading aloud, and (using software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking) of taking dictation, most users don’t take advantage of this, and in fact, users are generally unaware of the possibility, and there’s a very simple, and very good reason for this, and I can sum it up in a maxim you’ve all heard many times…
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Even though the quote is just an advertiser’s slogan the concept still holds true: illustrations, diagrams, charts, drawings, and photos all have more power to communicate, and to do so rapidly, than text or speech. To be more specific in our application to user interfaces: a well designed visual interface can communicate more in a second’s quick glance than a speech synthesis engine could in several minutes of talking, or than a page full of text could.
Just as an example, to illustrate my point, take GPS devices. Many GPS devices nowadays come with the ability to audibly give “step-by-step” directions, and yet still come with visual interfaces, even though the LCD displays add significantly to the cost of the unit. Most of us are insecure when driving places where we’ve never been before, especially when we’re on a schedule, or in a disreputable part of town. A little picture of a map, with an arrow indicating your currrent position — right in the middle of the highlighted route — is reassuring without being condescending. On the other hand, if a navigation unit kept repeating things like “that was the correct turn,” “you’re still on the right course,” “you’re doing great,” and “please just keep going straight,” you would quickly pitch it out the window.
So why does Hollywood use speech interfaces? Starting with the vision of HAL in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey right up through the Star Treck computers … it seemed that computers of the future would have to talk … but the real reason is not related to using computers, it’s related to watching movies: it’s a plot device. Audiences are not expected to learn a computer interface, to recognize the signs of danger in a screen shot, or to stay tuned while an ensign enters commands by typing or clicking. So the computers talk: audibly warning crew members of impending disaster. And they listen: allowing the actors to convey emotion and urgency while dictating their commands.
What does this have to do with user interface design? To put it simply:
The quest to mimic human performance is misguided and largely counterproductive… Users usually want to be in control, and resent the deception inherent in anthropomorphic designs that mimic human form and behaviour…
[Interfaces which are] supposed be cute and likeable [are] widely seen as an irritating intrusion … most users don’t want a relationship with their computer, they want control over it.
??Ben Schneiderman’s Leonardo’s Laptop ??
The design of new tools should have the following goals:
- Making people better at doing what they want to do, not doing it for them.
- Presenting people with the information they need to make decisions, not dictating solutions.
- Leaving people feeling in control, not caught up in the machine.
Cute touches like talking paperclips and telephone systems that insist we don’t need to talk to a person are not necessary, aren’t seen as helpful, and run counter to the goal of having the user feel in control. To borrow another example from Schneiderman’s book: most people don’t want cameras that take pictures for them.
Users want tools that help them accomplish more. A camera that helps you take better pictures, that lets you see the results instantly so you can try again if necessary, and that helps you share the picture with others is more attractive than a postcard rack full of “perfect” photos. In the end, the feeling of acomplishment that you get when you capture that great photo really is worth more than the photo itself.
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