Provide Effective Feedback and Guidance and Assistance 621

Step 9: Provide Effective Feedback and Guidance and Assistance 621

— Include on subsequent pages • A graphic for consistency. • Instructional text. • Controls for user input.

— Maintain consistent the locations for all elements. — Make it visually clear that the graphic is not interactive.

• Vary from normal size or render it as an abstract representation. — Include default values or settings for all controls when possible. — For frequently used wizards, place a check box with the text “Do not show this

Welcome page again” at the bottom of the Welcome page. — Include a Finish button at the point where the task can be completed. — Do not require the user to leave a wizard to complete a task. — Make sure the design alternatives offered yield positive results. — Make certain it is obvious how to proceed when the wizard has completed its

process.

Presentation guidelines: — Display the wizard window so it is immediately recognized as the primary point

of input. — Present a single window at one time. — Do not advance pages automatically.

Writing guidelines: — Clearly identify the wizard’s purpose in title bar. — At the top right of the wizard window, title the Welcome page “Welcome to the

Wizard Name Wizard.” • Use mixed case in headline style and no ending punctuation.

— Write simply, concisely, and clearly, following all previously presented guide- lines. — Use a conversational rather than instructional style. — Use words like “you” and “your.” –– Start most questions with phrases like “Which option do you want . . .” or

“Would you like. . . .”

Description . A wizard is a structured set of screens that guides the user through a

decision-making or data entry process. Wizards are displayed in a secondary window. The screens include controls to collect input, and navigation command buttons located at the page bottom (Back, Next, Finish, and Cancel). A wizard is typically accessed through toolbar buttons or icons.

Purpose . A wizard’s purpose is to assist a user by automating a task and walking

the user through the process. It may not appear as an explicit part of the Help interface. Wizards are useful for complex or infrequently occurring tasks that people may have difficulty learning or doing. Wizards are designed to hide many of the steps and much of the complexity in doing something. They are not suited to teaching how to do something, and should be considered a supplement to the actual performance of the task. An experienced user who knows a process will

622 Part 2: The User Interface Design Process

wizard can be accessed through toolbar buttons or icons. Microsoft (2001) sug- gests the following guidelines.

Design guidelines . Provide a greater number of simple pages with fewer choices, rather than a smaller number of more complex pages with too many options or too much text. Fewer pages will make it easier to understand the wizard and the process. Create screens of the exact same size. Include on the first page a graphic on the left side to establish a reference point or theme and a welcoming para- graph on the right side to explain what the wizard does. The graphic’s purpose is to establish a reference point, or theme, or present a preview of the wizard’s result. Include on subsequent pages a graphic for consistency, instructional text, and the necessary controls for user input. (If screen space is critical, graphics on subsequent pages may be omitted.)

Make it visually clear that the graphic is not interactive by varying it from normal size or rendering it as an abstract representation. Do not require the user to leave a wizard to complete a task. The user, often a novice, may lose context if asked to leave. Everything must be done from within the wizard. Make sure the design alternatives offered to the user yield positive results.

For frequently used wizards, place a check box with the text “Do not show this Welcome page again” at the bottom of the Welcome page. Include a Finish button at the point where the task can be completed. Make certain it is obvious how to proceed when the wizard has completed its process by including proper closing text on the last page.

Presentation guidelines . Display the wizard window so it is immediately recog- nized as the primary point of input. Present a single window at one time, over- laying underlying windows so they are not visible. Do not advance pages automatically. The viewer may be unable to read all the information, and control of the dialog is removed from the user and placed in the hands of the computer.

Writing guidelines . Clearly identify the wizard’s purpose in the title bar. At the top right of the wizard window, title the Welcome page “Welcome to the Wizard Name Wizard.” Use mixed case in the headline style of presentation, and no end- ing punctuation. Write simply, concisely, and clearly, following all previously presented guidelines. Use a conversational rather than instructional style, and words like “you” and “your.” Start most questions with phrases like “Which option do you want?” or “Would you like . . .?” People react better to phrasing that implies they are in control, rather than phrasing telling them what to do.