Shape
Affordances & Signifiers
What an object lets people do, and the cues that show them how to do it.
What is Affordances & Signifiers?
What an object lets people do, and the cues that show them how to do it.
What you learn
Make a control’s shape show what it does.
When it helps
people miss an action that’s available, or try one that isn’t there.
Use it at work
- List what people can do with the thing.
- Check each action has a visible cue.
- Make each cue’s shape suggest its action.
- Remove cues that suggest actions that don’t exist.
Your output
List the main actions on one screen. Check that each one looks like what it does before you add any label.
Watch for
Adding a label to fix a shape that suggests the wrong action.
Related practices
Sources
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