Reflection - This week we looked at how the simple element will create a seamless experience for the user and can alter the success of your brand. One of the main areas that most people never consider is the size of the icons, there should be a happy medium between too small to press and too big that it is out of balance with the rest of the elements. Which I will consider when designing my dashboard and any changes to the music app.
We also spent time looking at different design laws. Jakob’s Law ‘Users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know.’ this means that the user will expect that all platforms that do the same should be designed the same, meaning that the differences between the app mustn't be too disruptive or the feature be in the same style to make sure it is like what they are just as useable. An example of this can be easily seen in the music apps that are most popular with the layouts being very similar and easy to navigate as a result.
Fitt’s Law is ‘The time to acquire a target is a function of the distance to and size of the target.’ this means that the touch targets normally have to be larger than the icon which then requires good spacing between icons and be easily reached on the screens. This creates great accessibility for the user which then creates a very positive user experience. An example of this can be seen in Instagram layout which is well balanced with icons to the rest of the content.
The Law of Prägnanz is ‘People will perceive and interpret ambiguous or complex images as the simplest form possible, because it is the interpretation that requires the least cognitive effort of us.’ People will get overwhelmed by an overly complex interface so people will look to break it down into simple forward pieces to not get overwhelmed, we can see this in icons when a complex icon like a skeuomorphic icon which is a heavily detailed icon will is broken down by the mind into the simple shapes. An example of this is when looking at icons just seeing the icons rather than what makes it up, which reminds me when talking about word marks and brand marks in 103 that the best designs were from really looking at what is there and making small changes. which you can see in the Apple icon.
Hick’s Law is ‘The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices’ this is about decreasing cognitive load by breaking everything down into smaller steps to avoid overwhelming the user this can be done by having fewer choices available or having some choices highlighted. An example of this would be on the Netflix home page breaking down the trending, and new releases, and for your list, they also do the top 10 in your country with big gaps in between the choices and large numbers from 1st to 10th to make it a lot easier to consume and break down.
