Mitch_6_1

Given the wealth of common software and online widgets we're used to using (Youtube, MSWord, MacOS / Windows), it's safe to say that the general e-population has become accustomed to a set of design regularities and parameters. This means that the majority of user interfaces are now self-explanatory. To stray outside these parameters is exponentially frustrating to the user base. For example, as I'm writing this blog post, all of the interface buttons on this page are self-explanatory because of the pictures (bold, italic, link, quote, spellcheck, picture, video, upload). I can also hold my mouse over those buttons to see what they will do in a one-word function-based explanation. If these buttons were not self-explanatory or worked in a way that is not conductive to my electronic socialization, I'd begin to get frustrated. The best way to design an interface is self-explanatory when partnered with the existing conventions of the userbase.