Quiz: Conceptual Issues in Prototyping and Design >>> Affordances of user interface dont have much influence on how easily users learn to use the system >>> UX Design: From Concept to Prototype
Affordances of a user interface tell the user perceptually what he/she is able to do with that interface. When users see a UI widget that looks like a switch, for instance, users know intuitively, from the many experiences of operating light switches and other types of switches in their daily lives.
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Mental models refer to the user’s understanding of how a system behaves—how it works at the level at which the user interacts it. As such, mental models allow users to predict how the system will respond to different types of user actions and what might be possible to do with the system
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Technological determinists believe that the properties of a technology can have almost unavoidable consequences. The most extreme example of this dynamic are nuclear weapons which are so dangerous that their existence necessitates the development of social structures that can keep those weapons safe.
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Gulf of execution refers to the “gulf”—the discrepancy—between what the user is trying to accomplish through an interface and what the interface is capable of doing. In other words, it refers to the discrepancy between what the user wants to do and what he/she is able to do using a system.
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A very small percentage of users—around 5%–ever change any of the default settings. As such, the choice of defaults is crucial since they represent how the vast majority of users will ever experience the technology.
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Social determinists put most of the weight for technological impact on people that use technology, not on technology itself.
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While tools and techniques change, the process of design—how designers think and approach problems, the steps they take to solve problems, from ideation to prototyping—is as applicable to the design of embedded environments or VR experiences as it is to the design of mobile or web-based apps.
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