Blogs

Part of the Network Experience team, so they to design wireless networking. Original UI was hard to understand.

Goal: Help user get connected and understand what’s going on. Too many dialogues with cover your ass (CYA) questions. Such as the IEEE 802.1x check box.

They had credential storing built into the Wireless Network Connection manager so you could log on automatically at paid hotspots such as T-Mobile. They tested in Redmond and it was cool, but the wifi providers didn’t like it because they wanted to ad revenue on the silly login webpage.

When connecting to an unsecured AP it will alert the user with a alarm dialogue and a “Connect Anyway” button. I have a feeling this might scare users and cause them to think there AP is down. They went through about 14 iterations to decide on the word “unsecured”. They had to decide on working that conveys the right meaning.

Process
Static Mockups in Photoshop
Conversations with developers (they get told they’re on crack)
They take the advice to make development easier
Build interaction mockups in PPT with hotspots
Design flow diagram in Visio (for all possible application scenarios)

They bring in writers, UA, UX people in from different units, who delibrately try to not to understand.

They bring test users in at the point of having PPT interaction demos.

Funny UI ideas they’re thinking of:
Suggesting users upgrade to broadband if they’re on dial-up
even suggested brands
were going to use a big right hand side bar with system tools, connections, media, mail, IM

Icons:
went through a bunch of failed icons that mean anything to people, little pawn, pitch fork, pic of MS access point,
good icon example, 1950s era mcirophone
tip: if people give it weird names you’re probably on the path
decided on antenna with curved “radio waves” coming of the top
another example: networking icon is two linked monitors

Sean Lyndersay now the UI guy for IE. Great talk Sean, thank!

*ROUGH NOTES WILL TRY TO POLISH LATER*

Technorati Tags: mindcamp2.0, usability, vista,