Saying that something is more intuitive than something else is all the rage right now. Apple and Apple fans like to use this word a lot. Are Apple products really more intuitive just because they say they are?
First off, what does it actually mean to have an intuitive interface? It means that you can use it by intuition. You don’t need to learn how to do it. Now, all humans are born with certain instincts that are built-in to their brain functions. Interacting with a computer is not one of them.
Humans do learn things however. They learn to read words, recognize shapes, move objects, type words on a keyboard, etc. These things can be translated to human-computer interfaces in order to make the computer (and other electronic devices) easier to learn. In other words, we can base learning new things on things we have already learned in order to make them seem intuitive.
Now, easy to learn and easy to use are often two entirely different things. Making something easy to learn may mean simplifying the interface so that you don’t have to see a bunch of potentially confusing things at the same time. It may also mean, creating multiple levels of navigation screens which explain to the user each step or creating a hardware interface that gives tactile/audible/visual feedback. And most importantly, it means basing the design on previously learned and widely accepted concepts such as language.
“Easy to use” is another animal. If you want it to be easy to use, you’re looking for user interface efficiency. You want to be able to accomplish the tasks you’ve set out to do with as few steps as possible. This is very important for productivity.
Originally published on Pocketnow on January 17, 2008. More Thought articles from the Pocketnow archive.