Design Interpretive and Criminal Intent
For the most part, software relies heavily on language-based user interfaces. Prompts are helpful. “To transfer the contents of your Savings account to Mitch Brisebois, press OK once. To Cancel, press OK twice, quickly.”
The problem with language, is that it’s open to many interpretation. Consider the sentence pictured here. By reading it aloud and putting emphasis on a different word completely changes its meaning. In design, the UI prompt you just wrote might make sense to you. To be certain, ask 10 people to interpret the prompt. Are you still only getting one interpretation?
BTW – I did steal your money.
via: Militant Platypus
Tags: language, interpretation
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