Be a Butler

Do less features, but do them well. Even if its less marketable, satisfied users will spread the word and will be more loyal customers.

Paul Grice’s (1967) Cooperative Principles for Conversation:

1. Quantity
2. Quality
3. Relevance
4. Manner

Respect Physical Effort

• Treat Clicks as Sacred
• Remember Where they put things (& where they were)
• Remember What They Told You
• Stick with a Mode

Respect Mental Effort

• Use Visual Elements Sparingly
• Make Common Tasks Visible; Hide Infrequent ones
• Give Feedback; Show Signs of Progress
• Keep Preferences to a Minimum; Give Smart Defaults
• Follow Conventions (Even if they’ren’t your ideal design)
• Look for Widgetless Features

Be Helpful

• Offer Sufficient Information Early & in Context; Prevent Errors
• Solve Problems; Don’t Complain or Pass the Buck
• Be Predictable
• Request & Offer Only Relevant Info; Don’t Mislead
• Explain in Plain Language
  • Avoid Jargon
  • Don’t Blame the User
  • Indicate Consequences of Options
  • Use Common Sense

taken from: Isaacs, Ellen et. all. “Designing from Both Sides of the Screen”

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