Learn From the Past, Enhance for the Future
A presentation at EnhanceConf in in London, UK by Aaron Gustafson
Learn from the Past, Enhance for the Future Aaron Gustafson @AaronGustafson slideshare.net/AaronGustafson EnhanceConf 4 March 2016 London, UK
JAMHAM “I’ve been trying to make my site … work fully without JavaScript, however, I’ve found myself in situations where I can’t honestly think how I would do some features without it.”
The challenges we face building web products today are not new challenges.
(I’m looking at you, every hotel ever.)
DOUGLAS CROCKFORD “The Web is the most hostile software engineering environment imaginable.”
I A “Headless” UI
Hello. Howdy.
GUI
II Interface is a Conversation
West of House You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door. There is a small mailbox here. > open mailbox
This is a small room with passages to the east and south and a forbidding hole leading west. Bloodstains and deep scratches (perhaps made by an axe) mar the walls. A nasty-looking troll, brandishing a bloody axe, blocks all passages out of the room. Your sword has begun to glow very brightly. > kill troll
This is a small room with passages to the east and south and a forbidding hole leading west. Bloodstains and deep scratches (perhaps made by an axe) mar the walls. A nasty-looking troll, brandishing a bloody axe, blocks all passages out of the room. Your sword has begun to glow very brightly. > hit the troll with the Elvish sword
How does this photo make you feel? Embarrassing Upsetting Saddening Bad Photo
How does this photo make you feel? Embarrassing Upsetting Saddening Bad Photo it’s embarrassing ◉ Other
Please describe the photo It’s embarrassing It’s a bad photo of me It makes me sad
DUSTIN DIAZ It will be a test case to see how usable your website is to others without a “design”.
I really want to be your friend. I <em>really</em> want to be your friend. I really want to be your friend. I <i class=“sarcasm”>really</i> want to be your friend.
Document Outline
Write for People
๏ Be clear. ๏ Be concise. ๏ Be honest. ๏ Be considerate. ๏ Write how you speak.
Avoid Technical and Legal Jargon
When Requesting Feedback, Make It Clear That the User Needs to Respond
<label for=“first_name”>What’s your first name?</label> <input name=“first_name” id=“first_name”>
<label for=“first_name”>What’s your first name?</label> <input name=“first_name” id=“first_name” aria-describedby=“first_name-error”> <em id=“first_name-error”> Without your first name, I won’t know how to address you. Could you please provide it? </em>
When Asking a User to Choose, Clearly Present the Options
<input type=“radio” name=“agree” id=“agree_yes” value=“yes”> <label for=“agree_yes”>Yes</label>
Prompts Should be Short, While Still Being Clear
ALBERT EINSTEIN It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience.
ALBERT EINSTEIN (VIA ROBERT SESSIONS) Everything should be as simple as it can be but not simpler.
THIS IS REAL COPY Heavy rains throughout most of the State have given an optimistic outlook for lessened fire danger for the rest of the season. However, an abundance of lightning maintains a certain amount of hazard in isolated areas that have not received an excessive amount of rain.
IT COULD BE SO MUCH BETTER Heavy rains throughout most of the State have lessened fire danger for the rest of the season. However, lightning threatens isolated dry areas.
Ask Only Necessary Questions
Phone Number:
Present Information in Consumable Pieces
The top seller in the garden department is Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Natural Insect Repellent, 4-Ounce Pump Spray Would you like to hear the rest?
III Future Enhancements
Thank you! @AaronGustafson aaron-gustafson.com slideshare.net/AaronGustafson
Video
Resources
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
