Comments on: Disable All You Want http://www.jeffongames.com/2008/07/disable-all-you-want/ This is Jeff. This is Jeff On Games. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:14:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Jeff http://www.jeffongames.com/2008/07/disable-all-you-want/#comment-25544 Jeff Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:16:33 +0000 http://www.jeffongames.com/2008/07/disable-all-you-want/#comment-25544 If a person doesn't have a full mental model of the problem space, I think that leaving all menus enabled is just a temporary fix. Sure, the first time they click on it, they get that "teachable moment" but from then on it's an annoyance. You can still have that teachable moment with a disabled menu item, PROVIDED that there's a pop-up or explanation available to you. IMO, the problem is not the disabled menu item, which is a quick indicator of whether an option is available to you, but lack of explanation on why an item is hidden or disabled. I feel Windows is partially to blame for that one, since built in support for doing that is spotty at best. If a person doesn’t have a full mental model of the problem space, I think that leaving all menus enabled is just a temporary fix. Sure, the first time they click on it, they get that “teachable moment” but from then on it’s an annoyance. You can still have that teachable moment with a disabled menu item, PROVIDED that there’s a pop-up or explanation available to you.

IMO, the problem is not the disabled menu item, which is a quick indicator of whether an option is available to you, but lack of explanation on why an item is hidden or disabled. I feel Windows is partially to blame for that one, since built in support for doing that is spotty at best.

]]> By: Bill http://www.jeffongames.com/2008/07/disable-all-you-want/#comment-25494 Bill Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:42:22 +0000 http://www.jeffongames.com/2008/07/disable-all-you-want/#comment-25494 I have to say that my gut reaction was to agree with you, Jeff, but I think I can see the reasoning behind Joel's assertion. I think that Joel is implicitly espousing the idea that we need to move away from the notion that our software users have a complete mental model of the problem space the software addresses. If someone knows the problem space sufficiently wel, then they realize that the greyed out option is an indicator that then need to complete an initial step (that presumably they know how to do.) Joel's stance is that this is no longer the case for the majority of users, and so he is suggesting using the desire to do something as a 'teachable moment.; I have to say that my gut reaction was to agree with you, Jeff, but I think I can see the reasoning behind Joel’s assertion.

I think that Joel is implicitly espousing the idea that we need to move away from the notion that our software users have a complete mental model of the problem space the software addresses. If someone knows the problem space sufficiently wel, then they realize that the greyed out option is an indicator that then need to complete an initial step (that presumably they know how to do.)

Joel’s stance is that this is no longer the case for the majority of users, and so he is suggesting using the desire to do something as a ‘teachable moment.;

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