Power users often find wizards frustratingly rigid and limiting (since wizards don’t show users what their actions really do, or what application state gets changed as choices are made). When the audience is too advancedĮven when dealing with complexity, wizards are not the slam-dunk answer for creating an optimal UI design solution. If you can simplify a task to the point where a short form or a few button clicks can do the trick instead, that’s a better solution. The very need for a wizard indicates that a task may be too complicated. Breaking up a task into smaller steps does not always provide a better user experience: When the task itself isn’t complex Wizard makes sure all required steps are performed in the appropriate order. When users are forced to follow the order of tasks, users are less likely to miss important things and will hence make fewer errors.įacebook effectively uses a wizard to set up an application. In this case, a wizard support users performing a task by lowering the learning curve. Users must complete steps in a specific sequence Using wizard it’s possible to reduce the seeming complexity of a task and provide a sense of progress at the same time. You are designing an UI for a task that is long or complicated and it cannot be simplified. Wizards can help in following situations: Users want to accomplish a goal that has many steps Completing a task gets easier: the user can just follow a preplanned, step-by-step path to accomplish his goal: “Don’t make me think, just tell me what to do next.” When to Consider a Wizard The wizard is especially good when users lack the necessary domain knowledge. Takes the burden of decision making off of the user The payoff of using wizard was clear - reduced support and training costs. A setup wizard transformed this complex set of conditions into understandable steps. Before installation wizards were common, users had to copy files themselves, edit configuration files, set up control directories, and check to see if the software was functioning. ![]() The pattern was popularized by Windows 95.īy splitting up a complex task into a sequence of chunks, you can effectively simplify the task.Īs was previously mentioned, one common example of such task is a software installation. ![]() Setup wizards have historically been used with traditional desktop software applications or new hardware installation. This pattern was firstly introduced in the physical world (a famous paper quick start guide that you definitely have together with all your appliances) and not so long ago was introduced in digital forms (e.g. What is a Wizard?Ī wizard presents a series of steps or conditions that the user needs to complete in order to accomplish a goal (e.g. Should you use a wizard? Isn’t a wizard just a patch for a bad interface? In this article, you’ll find answers to these questions. I mean the step-by-step process that we use in apps or websites to guide someone through a process. Today I’d like to talk about the topic of wizards, and I don’t mean those guys with the hats and all the magical spells.
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