How about a user interface that learns as the person interacts with it? Not just context based menus, but a paradigm where stuff changes as the user plays with it and the machine becomes uniquely suited for you.
The advantage of something like this is that we can accommodate every type of user from the technophobe to the power users.
Has anyone over here ever tried to make something like this?
I think Microsoft's ill-fated experiment with menu bars that automatically hide what the application doesn't think you're using was an example of how not do do this, and it may have scared everyone else away from the idea in general.
Microsoft's problem was probably the reliance upon this as an easy alternative to actually reducing the number of entries in menus and better grouping of functionality.
Also reminds me of the fantasy game in Ender's game. Of course that thing eventually turned into a universe-spanning uber-being, so maybe it's not such a good idea...
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How about a user interface that learns as the person interacts with it? Not just context based menus, but a paradigm where stuff changes as the user plays with it and the machine becomes uniquely suited for you.
The advantage of something like this is that we can accommodate every type of user from the technophobe to the power users.
Has anyone over here ever tried to make something like this?
I think Microsoft's ill-fated experiment with menu bars that automatically hide what the application doesn't think you're using was an example of how not do do this, and it may have scared everyone else away from the idea in general.
Microsoft's problem was probably the reliance upon this as an easy alternative to actually reducing the number of entries in menus and better grouping of functionality.
Interesting idea, but I can't help but think of how much of a nightmare that would make tech support!
The problem is that if the interface learns and adjusts to you, it prevents you from learning the interface...
It would get annoying as it would start to hide that function you use occasionally.
One of the reasons I would disable those features in windows that would hide functions in the pull down menus.
I don't know, but Vernor Vinge talks about such an interface in his book Rainbows End.
Also reminds me of the fantasy game in Ender's game. Of course that thing eventually turned into a universe-spanning uber-being, so maybe it's not such a good idea...