Idea #4 Users are not William Tell, Fitts can helps you

Wiliam Tell

Dear all,

Users are not William Tell with their mouse or their fingers.

I am sure users are very talented and they do a lot of things. Nonetheless #UX designers can help them to use app with effortless.

Today I want to speak about #Fitts Law

Have a look of this beautiful formula.

Fitts Law Mathematic Expression

I don't want to speak about the mathematic expression of Fitts law,

with :

- T for the time required to complete the movement

- a and b coefficients which are determined empirically....hmmmmm

- D the distance between the starting point of the mouvement and the target...what is the unit ?

- and W the with of the target object...

ok...you and myself are not mathematician professor...and even it is in our world to transform anything in mathematical langage, don't forget and Larry to your senses.

And between you and me sometime it is difficult to determine a and b factors. Personally I never defined them and I don't really know how to do.

If we try to say the thing with simple words :

The mouvement of the mouse on a computer or finger on a tablet and smartphone, is very fast outside the target, and your are near the target more the mouvement is slow, and harder it is for user because it needs more and more precision and concentration.

it could be :

More the target is big and cclose from the start point more it is easy for user to accomplish its task.

Have a look here : Improving Usability with Fitts’ Law

Fitts law in arrow word

Imagine just a moment you are an archer...hmmmm you user are archer...and their target is this...

First target only for William Tell

Oh yes, sure the device is important, in this case, impossible to use finger, and with a mouse a nightmare...

We can help user by giving him a context, and environment with  something like this...

Second target for best archers

As you can see, we add context by putting little target in big target with contrast. Its helps the user to concentrate him self.

Sure if we do something like this...

Third target for all archers

now almost all archers reach the task, by enlarging the black target.

Sure not all the archers reach the center, but don't forget, Users are not William Tell, you don't want them to reach the center, you just want them they tape on a button like the black target.

The Story

Yesterday I used my mail app - @MyMail and I didn't understand why when I taped on "Object" nothing append...

I taped, taped, and taped again...and nothing...what a #BadUx

MyMail

And I ask myself why I ssucceedthe days before, what is the change ? Which error I done ?

Users don't have to ask themselves if they have made error...because Digital is slave for user, user never make error !

After a moment of thinking, and test I found !!! the touchable area is only the input area...

Input area target for William Tell

Ok, you can say me...ho ! the touchable zone is not so small you can do an effort...why not but in this case where is the visual difference between label background and input area tfor exemple. You remember #affordance.

And if you think it is old sschooland not beautiful to have lots of different backgrounds...don't forget the best #UI with the best graphical design can have the worst #UX.

My point of view 

Remember the "Third target" picture in this topic, you just have to enlarge target to be sure not only experts or William Tell can reach the target, here the input area.

So why not enlarge the touchable area, and if the user clicks on the label...hmm just put the cursor in the corresponding input area ... no ???

Input area target for all users

In my proposal, I enlarged the grey square to the new red one...and to understand the gain....I earn 22% of touchable area...

And you can easily apply this rule for radio button or checkboxes or others by just rendering touchable at least the label of the radio button, and why not the full line rather asking user to aim the radio button like William Tell done with the apple...

So Don’t forget 

Although they are talented users are not William Tell.