Why details are dangerous
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A kid stares down at her phone. Her mother asks if she’s listening.
“Yes, mom…” she says, her eyes not leaving the screen.
Mom is doubtful.
“What did I ask you to do?”
“You wanted me… to…”
Her eyes are still glued, and the words aren’t coming. She’s not even using the device. It’s only her home screen, but she’s transfixed.
We’ve all experienced this before, either as the girl or her mother. As visual creatures, our subconscious is a sucker for details, trying to find patterns in the chaos. Mom’s verbal instructions are in competition for this mental processing power. The second the phone screen switches off, the mind is made available again.
Dangers for the Designer
Details can be very loud. Our minds interpret specifics as having meaning. When exploring an idea, it’s always best to delay the details, regardless of however easy it might be to include them. A flashy layout with a misaligned button or imperfectly matched colors draws the eye to the imperfections. The mind wants to see the button in place or the color changed, and forgets about asking “does this even solve the problem?”
Start with broad strokes, literally. A marker is much less precise than a pencil, and does not allow for much indulgence in detail. Your brain is forced to fill in the gaps instead of interpreting the drawings as the literal interface. A blunt tip is an abstraction forcing function to keep you focused on the big picture.
Dangers for the User
But details are loud for the user, too. Consider the design pattern of using “coach marks”. The user — seeing the interface for the first time — tries to make sense of the new environment when suddenly a wad of instructions obstructs their view. It’s like stepping through the gate at Disneyland to have a map thrust in your face.
A first-time user is going to be more interested in looking around — let them! They are likely too distracted by the loudness of the details of a new environment to memorize a map. If they need an overview, it’s better to provide one in abstract before distracting them with a detailed interface. Otherwise, you’re the mother left competing for attention from a distracted child.
It’s better to provide guidance in context in a way that doesn’t prevent someone from taking in their surroundings. This not only helps them on their first visit, but also on their next visit a week later. Think “street signs”, not “disappearing maps”.
Understanding the effects of loud details helps on both sides of the design process. Details can distract from seeing & solving the real problem when designing, just as they can distract a user from taking in more information when using an interface. Details draw people in, for better or worse, so knowing how and when to use them allows you to do better work.
