[...]Do users change their settings? » UIE Brain Sparks[...]…

[...]Do users change their settings? » UIE Brain Sparks[...]…

Putting the burden of customization on the user often seems like a cop-out to avoid doing the work of figuring out the most effective screen configuration for the task at hand.

I remember from my own programming experience – there were cases when we were discussing how to implement specific thing and we were not sure or did not know what’s the best way to do it, quite often we used to say “OK, let’s make it configurable” = let’s add a setting.
Now I think that was a big mistake. Not only we did not spend enough time to really understand what user needs/wants, but we also unnecessarily inflated the code, which then took more time to test, more time to maintain, more time to install and setup, more time to train the user, etc. And all that with no real additional value to a user.
So the way I see it, when you’re thinking about a user setting, it is very important to think what the default setting value should be. But it’s even more important to be sure that this setting is absolutely needed. If you’re not sure – remove it, talk to users, learn more about the process/user needs and implement with no setting.
Less code branches, less options to test, easier to maintain, setup, train. Bigger smile on your face at the end of the day when you’re going home:)

Rimantas

What if the end user is a game player? From what I have observed, most AAA game players (e.g., XBOX, PC, Playstation, etc…) do indeed tend to fall into the same bucket as programmers, in that they change settings from defaults (or at least look them over). I’d theorize casual game players (e.g., iOS, Facebook, etc…) would fall more into the non-programmer category.

Have you done any testing with these demographics?

Great to have some evidence to support this belief.

I have long ago become bored by spending any of my time setting up computers. I spend a certain amount of energy on things that are within my control and reliably save more effort than it takes to set them up or workaround them (e.g., templates).

As far as I know, that does not make me any more apathetic or unwashed than I was in my days of geekery tweakery; just with different priorities.

Changing settings is like intentionally sitting next to that guy on the bus and asking him if he’ll open the window to let in a little fresh air… sure, he might just open the window, but then again he might decide that you’re one of the gang of aliens who he’s sure are stalking him and, with defensible reasoning on his side, defenstrate you into oncoming traffic (thereby opening the window, which is what you asked for).

I support several companies and have 2 ageing parents and this is what they tell me.

There are many factors that could affect customization –

1. Really good defaults
2. We adapt to technologies (default settings) too well – we find workarounds
3. Customization features are buried and/or difficult to use – bad UI design
4. People vary on their need for control and need for uniqueness, which affects how much they customize
5. Many customize only once – and then feel no need to keep customizing (point of customization might also affect this – someone might customize a wallpaper over and over again, but might customize Microsoft Word only once and be happy with that config for life)
6. Some might prefer cosmetic (presentation-based) customization over functional (task-based customization
7. There are power users (here, developers) who have been known to be very interested in customization (user-initiated, user-controlled), whereas non-power users prefer personalization (system-initiated, system-driven)
8. People might slowly get used to the idea of customization as a culture

So, yes, default settings should be really good, but research has proven time and again that customization helps users feel in control of the UI and their experience. It also helps them establish a psychological connnection with the UI – which affects patronage.

I also downloaded TweakUI to remove some of the annoying things about XP so I don’t have to deal with them as a user.

Invariably, my customizations confuse the IT department when they come to service my workstation. I once got lectured about my über-customization was a bad thing since I’m making it difficult for other people who might have to use my machine to work on how I have my system set up.

Since others shouldn’t be on my workstation anyway, I promptly ignored such advice.

Background? I used to program dBase for fun, to a server guy to middle management.

I’ve used every version of this product since Word 97 and each has been more unmanageable than the last. The user interface of the latest version is an atrocity of self-indulgent header-bar encroachment, burying virtually every essential function under a pack-rat nest of gratuitous marketing fluff. They even hid the most basic UI element of all – the File Menu itself!

However, as someone well outside that age category but in the 5% who change their default settings, I have become less inclined to do so as time goes on. The reason – new versions of programs, and even automatic updates, often do not respect configuration changes and so I am fighting a losing battle. In particular, I have given up changing default directory settings, because doing so always gave me problems with updates, although I do give attention to functional settings whenever I get a new program or device.

The first thing that came to mind is what this means for users of assistive technologies such as screen readers. How a screen reader consumes web content ‘out of the box’ can be quite different to how it does once you’ve adjusted your settings.

Just as browsers render pieces of code differently, especially with newer or evolving technologies such as HTML5, WAI ARIA and so on, so do screen readers. Add settings into the mix and there are a lot of variables that can make life frustrating for both the user and developer. I can’t tell you how many conversations I have around ‘why does X screen reader output content differently to Y screen reader’.

I would personally love to see screen reader vendors do two things:

provide better surfacing of settings dialogues and easier to read help documentation
be more transparent about what code they do and don’t support for developers

Having said that NVDA do a great job with engaging with the community and listening to feedback.

It makes me think about screen resolutions: more than once I’ve seen friends or family using their computer with the screen set up at a ridiculously low resolution and fuzzy as anything.

Usually, they never even realised they could change the settings. (And why should they? Wouldn’t you have thought your computer’s screen would automatically default to the best settings?)

Isn’t part of this dependent the level of exposure given to a setting in an interface? Microsoft does a pretty good job of burying most of the settings. However, if for instance, they added an autosave option to each document and surfaced it in the file save dialog, might it get turned on more easily? Or if I am in another type of interface that surfaces a “view” setting (say a list versus a grid), then that setting might get changed more easily to be my default if it is remembered via cookie or by the application the next time I use it. I guess it depends on what we call a setting and where it is surfaced in the interface.

Scott

People who were young were just as unlikely to change their settings file as older people.

This has remained true in all the instances we’ve revisited the experiment.

Jared

1. I downloaded IE9 beta when it was released. Soon I discovered that the placement of the search providers at the bottom of the drop down list is bad, becausue they move down after the list is opened as it gets dynamically populated. So when you try to click on one, you click on something else because it just moved down. I tried to submit feedback through the beta program, but I got a message that I’m not “elligible”. Why the hell not! The thing is not fixed even now and is very frustrating. I tried to suggest two possible fixes that are obvious and easy to implement.

2. I am a server operator. I logon to thousands of servers and the first time a profile is created. In addition the profiles are removed if they’re getting at a certain age. So among other things, I see many times the IE configuration wizard when I logon. While this makes sense on a desktop, it doesn’t make sense at all on a server. Microsoft consistently puts IT pros with casual users in the same bag, frustrating the IT Pros for no reason. Somebody who logs on on a server, especially if part of a domain, should know how to configure their browser and other things without a browser. You would say that a GPO would solve this, but that adds overhead and also apps get upgraded.

Thanks for this article.

What was the age range of the participants? I’m wondering if young people have a higher propensity to personalize their tools.

- Felix