Jesus Joel !

Joel says here, Don't hide or disable menu items

A long time ago, it became fashionable, even recommended, to disable menu items when they could not be used.

Don't do this. Users see the disabled menu item that they want to click on, and are left entirely without a clue of what they are supposed to do to get the menu item to work.

Instead, leave the menu item enabled. If there's some reason you can't complete the action, the menu item can display a message telling the user why.

I disagree completely. Disabled stands for not in a position to be used. It talks about the thought process and the diligence that leads the control to be in that state. If it cannot be used, it should not be available (Should it disappear? Well, lets leave it that one for a different blog...)

 

Leave it disabled, I would say, just let the user know what he needs to do to avail to the functionality.

(to be continued... if Joel takes up the debate...)

Crying wolf?

A trial of a speed-breaker visual illusion to slow down the traffic....

What do you think? Good usability? Bad usability?

Plug me in ...

The first thing I have find myself doing on entering a hotel room during a business trip is looking for power outlets.

It is (not) funny how much trouble interior decorators take to hide these "ugly" holes. They strategically put them behind heavy pieces of furniture, behind doors, behind headboards. After going down on all fours and moving these obstacles, you find the outlets over used with wires running to the refridgeratorm, lamps TV and one has to decide if the news of the day is more important than ambient light to get some juice for my power drained laptop, phone and iPod.

Last week in Indiana, I came across this ugly little lamp virtually boasting the two power outlets and a LAN connector.

I did not really care how ugly the lamp was...

my voice is my password (command)....

The title is derived from a 1992 movie - Sneakers, which I absolutely love. Total geek movie at the time :) in which they fool a voice recognition system.

Now the reason I remembered is this post on Techcrunch IT which got me thinking. Will voice ever replace the keyboard+mouse? Today I also read another post which asks a related question - touch will replace the keyboard+mouse?

The conclusion from the two posts seems to be that interfaces still need to be designed considering the eyes and hand for any complicated task/task carried out in an enterprise/public environment. There is no going beyond QWERTY and the rodent until the day they figure out how I can plug a computer directly into my brain and tell it what to do :). I agree, what about you?