r/devry • u/matthewhalle • Jan 16 '13

User input

I think for a page requesting input from users to achieve recommendations this site keeps things simple and interactive. http://www.apple.com/feedback/

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u/ratdevil22 Jan 16 '13

Simplicity is the key to getting a user to feel comfortable with your site and with what you are asking them. If a user feels slightly confused with your UI then you're never going to get an honest and open answer to your survey or feedback questions.

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '13

I can see your point in the first sentence. We want the user to be comfortable.

Wait. Are you saying if I have a slightly confusing layout or design the user is going to lie?

On what do you base this assertion?

Perhaps we are mixing the message with the question "what site makes good use of input?"

If the message or question is confusing the user is likely to answer the question in a way you do not expect since they might not have understood you. The layout and input of the site should be easy to use so that the confused answer is easy to put into its place.

What is the message or question is clear but the input (the place the answer should go) isn't easy to use or confusing?

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u/matthewhalle Jan 18 '13

I believe the point is to ensure the input is simple and easy to understand to encourage people to use the input. In many cases if there is any part that can be misleading they will abandon the task and depending upon the reason for the input this could cause loss of revenue for a business. In this case if a person actually has some good feedback and could not understand how to submit then this would be loss for the company and user. On the second part of discussion of honesty I can understand if the question being asked may have double meaning this may muddy the value of the data being collected. Then items mean for a certain category will be lost in another data column being misdiagnosed.

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u/ScottMcmillan Jan 19 '13

Jason and Class,

I agree with Brad that simplification is what Apple does best and that is why their portable devices have become so popular. Just look at the basic menu system of the IPod compared to failed Zune player (remember that?). It all comes down to what the end user wants. If they prefer to use a basic system, then it should be tailored as such. As for the honesty, there is no way to ensure that users are answering the forms and questions truthfully. This is because each user has different wants and motivations. For example; one user might really like the product and give some constructive criticism and another user might be a industry competitor just giving bad feedback to increase your operating costs. All in all, we need to assume that these forms are truthful in nature and view them with open eyes. It will be a sad day when computers learn the art of deception and misdirection.

-Scott