[UX] Intuitive UI design and user context

Intuitive design is important to give a clear context to users. If the task is very critical like deleting or resetting, Intuitive design is more considered than just beautiful design. Here is a case to select and delete the item. Some people insist that they can easily know what’s going on after the user have some trial and error. However, the critical task is not just only the problem that can be restored or not. That makes users feel frustrated so much.

As we design a UI, we are usually thinking about when we should consider an intuitive UI.

Most of all, that's the best to cover with all kinds of users but you know that's a very ideal idea in the real world.
For example, if you are a teller in a bank and there is a system in your work place, do you think how much the system should be easy for you? Let me give an more realistic example.

When you see the picture, Figure 1, do you recognize what you should you do? That's a very interesting thing. Even though you are not a teller, you know what you will do with this interface because this is very intuitive for all people. 

[Figure 1] An intuitive interface to recognize how to work

An intuitive interface example in the critical task

Now, here is the second one for your work. Can you know how to choose the items when you see this at the first time? They may just try to press "Delete" button, and will you show the exceptional dialog? Why do they experience that even if they don't start to try anything yet?

Some people might know how to use this but other people don't know how to control this exactly because this interface is not so clear to understand it and this is not so common to select items.

[Figure 2]  An unclear interface to recognize how to work

A confusing interface example in the critical task

Do you think why I suggested these two different UIs? I wanted to show when you should consider something like intuitive UIs. Sometimes we made a mistake to consider the intuitive UIs all the time but it should be understood in a context. Normally, Intuitive UI is valuable to make all kind of people use it. Just guess there is a product that every generation uses. In that case, the product should be intuitive because there might be a variation to understand it.

However, when the users are mostly experts like a teller. In that case, you don't have to consider an intuitive UI, but that doesn't mean that you must not consider it at all. In some cases, productivity is much more important than understanding something more easily because productivity is related to the profits.

Now, you might know what I really wanted to say with the above cases.

In the first case, Figure 1, an user can delete the items with a combo box component, so an user should click all items to check the box and then finally an user can delete the items. The UI is very intuitive but not so efficient to make it.

In the second case, Figure 2, an user can delete the items with a drag action and using a control key on the keyboard like Windows OS. When you press the control key on the keyboard with a left click, you can select the item or deselect the item. Of course, you can choose multiple items with the control key. That means that an user doesn't need to check all boxes that he or she wants to delete. That is more efficient than the first one for sure in my opinion.

I know some people don't totally agree with my opinion because an user can make an error frequently while he or she is choosing the item sometimes. In that case, I think the first one also can makes some errors like the second one even if it is not so many times.

I recommend you not to trap by yourself even though you can make the UI better than ever. You know and we know there are good guidelines and principles to design something nice, but you can also think if they are suitable when you design an UI in your industry. That's why we are existing, and hopefully don't be a robot that just follows the rules without any thought.