a UI comparison
METHODOLOGY
Video showing actual procedure
Test System: Athlon 8-core/dual SSDs
Analysis of UI elements
Comparison between Unity and Metro
Final evaluation
Poor responsiveness
No feedback or acknowledgment
Reversible: cancel, back, forward
Adaptive menus
Categories not clearly separated
No scrolling affordance
Conceptual load: detected printer notshown
4 different colors: blue icon, orange cancel,black text, gray background
Metro – Add a Printer
Minimalistic with muted colors
Not natural: mouse to bottom right, then dragupward
Violates visibility: first, second, and even thirdstep to goal it is not obvious
Excessively wordy: “nothing can be sent from thedesktop"
Not tolerant of errors: must close and reload bar
Metro – Add a Printer (I)
Poor affordances: text button looking like a labelwithin a category of other icons
Inconsistent: devices on charm bar has differentfunctionality than devices on PC settings
Somewhat ambiguous: printers with other devices
Minimalistic: automatically adds with no extra input
Very Responsive: smooth progress bar, spinningmarbles, always acknowledges actions
Metro – Add a Printer (II)
VERDICT: ADDING PRINTERS
Unity -1
Metro +1
Windows Metro is far from perfect, but farmore responsive
Strengths of direct manipulation/menu/
command-line interfaces
Text Hierarchy: category label, software, description
Very responsive: installation visible but user free
Background noise and cluttered interface
Icons mixing text with images
Reversible actions
3-D shading creating categories
Smooth progress bar, the time estimates
Metro – Software Store
Poor visibility (after entering the store)
Good color scheme and animations
Too concise, too minimalistic
Search is not goal focused
Affordances are invisible: both common andedge cases are hidden from the user
Lack of categories
Metro – Software Store
VERDICT: SOFTWARE STORE
Unity +1
Metro -1
Ubuntu Unity’s software store is simplymuch easier to work with
Poor visibility, first step is not obvious
Fails consistency: jargon replaced with toosimplified plain language “check for updates”
Good responsiveness but not perfect (progress bar)
Progress bar doesn’t start at 0%, doesn’t delay at100%
Task clearly identified at all times minimizesconceptual load
Metro – Software Updates
Inconsistent Affordance: invisible scrollbar
More Inconsistent Affordances: one graybutton, cyan titles, and cyan text is a button?
Responsive: good progress bar, backgroundoperation
Metro – Software Updates
VERDICT: SOFTWARE UPDATES
Unity 0
Metro 0
Both systems have their drawbacks, butboth clearly work well
Combines the strengths of direct manipulation andcommand-line interfaces (Win-key+typing) or(click+select)
Most frequently used/closest match shown first
Icons have mixed text with images
Additional results available but hidden
Fades desktop – desktop still visible
Modeless: no separate search for apps/files
(not shown) searches apps, files, settings, store
Metro – Find Programs
No affordance for the start button
Ambiguity/no categories: Metro Skypemixed in with Desktop Skype
3 different modes: to search must selectapps, files, or settings
Metro – Find Programs
VERDICT: FINDING APPLICATIONS
Unity +1
Metro -1
Ubuntu Unity’s dashboard is simply betterin every way
Creates extra problems for the user: buttonscrolls off the edge of the display
Good visibility: control panel, display,resolution
Simplistic and minimalistic settings
User language: “does the display look okay?”
Metro – Screen Resolution
Visibility failure: Which features exist inMetro? Which in desktop? Which in both?
Desktop Brightness Affordance: textchanged to “unavailable” not transparent
Metro – Screen Resolution
VERDICT: SCREEN RESOLUTION
Unity +1
Metro -1
Although Windows desktop trumps bothwith “right-click/screen resolution”,Ubuntu Unity’s settings are easier to find
FINAL SCORE
Unity +2
Metro -2
However if responsiveness trumpseverything else, Metro wins.
Questions?