Applications should be intuitive tools, not uber-guided funnels
How OOUX and direct manipulation can make your UI more natural and engaging.
As UX designers, we bear the responsibility that users can use our applications without training or reading manuals. Yet, the pace of our business often doesn’t leave much space for research and testing. These circumstances create constant pressure. They changed our stance on user guidance. We play it save. We opt for uber-guided flows, but these funnels don’t engage. Users only follow on auto-pilot. They stop thinking. Which, in turn, requires even more guidance.
Applications should be tools, not funnels. The UI should be intuitive and stimulate a degree of thinking via clear cues. We need to allow users to explore and experiment. Let me propose a different approach: an object-oriented UX approach leveraging direct manipulation. An approach that creates a more intuitive and engaging user interface.
What is direct manipulation?
The idea isn’t new. The term “Direct Manipulation” was first introduced by Ben Shneiderman in 1982. It used to be very prevalent when I studied but seemed to have faded into the background over the past years. The Nielsen Group defines it today as follows:
“Direct manipulation (DM) is an interaction style in which users act on displayed objects of interest using physical, incremental, reversible actions whose effects are immediately visible on the screen.”
Shneiderman further outlined four key attributes for direct manipulation.
- Continuous representation of the object of interest
- Physical actions instead of complex syntax
- Rapid, incremental, and reversible operations whose impact on the object of interest is immediately visible
- Layered or spiral approach to learning that permits usage with minimal knowledge.
The good old desktop metaphor is a direct outcome of this thinking. The same goes for “drag and drop” or “pinch to zoom”.
What is an object-oriented UX approach?
As with direct manipulation, object-oriented thinking has been around for quite some time, too. OOUX approaches the experience from a systems point of view rather than via user flows. It models the UI via relatable objects and their relationships. OOUX uses a content-first approach to structure the experience. If you want to learn more about OOUX and how to apply it, look at this article from Lindsay Eryn Sutton.
OOUX and Direct Manipulation
How do those two work in conjunction to create a more intuitive UX? OOUX asks you to model the UI around known and familiar objects. Users can apply their existing knowledge with minimal guidance. In combination with obvious cues, users should be able to manipulate objects directly. Each interaction should be incremental, predictable, and reversible. Every change should be immediately visible. This setup enables users to anticipate their next step. It gives users the agency to explore on their own. No uber-guided flows are necessary.
Case study — Miro
Let’s have a look at Miro to make it more tangible. Given Miro’s tremendous success, it is a poster child for the viability of direct manipulation.
Miro uses a canvas as their central paradigm. Users can add different objects (sticky notes, text, or other visual elements) to the canvas using the left toolbar. Once an object is on the canvas, it can be directly moved and resized. Formatting options are shown via a contextual action bar once selected. There is no sidebar or ribbon. Every object on the canvas is manipulated in context. The outcome is immediately visible. This keeps the interface minimal and the cognitive load small. It doesn’t prescribe a sequence. Every user can determine her or his own workflow.
Especially during the pandemic, when remote work became the norm, Miro became an essential tool to facilitate workshops and research. The challenge in both cases is that participants might not be familiar with the tool. Yet you want them — or better — you need them to be familiar from the start. Miro’s intuitive UI removed this challenge. People can participate and engage in the activities with little to no guidance.
How does this help with usability?
Many of us use Nielsen’s heuristics to double-check our UI and its usability. To make it quick: If applied correctly, OOUX, in combination with direct manipulation, helps to adhere to all of Nielsen’s heuristics.
- Showing each object and its state helps to see the system status (1).
- Relatable objects bridge the system with the real world (2).
- The consequent representation of objects ensures consistency (4).
- Using contextual actions instead of global sidebars or ribbons minimizes the interface (8).
- In addition, those contextual actions remove the need to remember how to use the application (6) and minimize the need for documentation (10).
- The ability to manipulate each object independently ensures flexibility and efficiency of use (7).
- Incremental and reversible actions provide freedom and control (3), help to prevent errors (5), and allow users to recognize and correct errors (9).
Next time you get the opportunity to design a system from scratch, consider taking an OOUX approach and using direct manipulation. It will take you more effort, but in return will create a more engaging application with better user retention.
For more thoughts on OOUX, check out my other articles.
