I attended an Adobe MAX session a few weeks ago (The Business Value of User Experience) and I began to relate to some of the struggles that others have had with interfaces and user experiences. Things like how to accommodate multiple types users and guiding users through processes are the major points I picked up from the session.
Handling Multiple User Audiences.
We have all ran into this issue before and if you haven't...you should. How do we handle power users vs. regular users? Power users are the small group of individuals that are going to stretch the app to the boundaries. Regular users are going to do their tasks and are usually just looking to get their "computer work" done asap. So how do we address the power user's needs without confusing or frustrating the regular user's UX? How do we break up complex problems when we code? We break up the code into smaller, more manageable chunks. So we break up the UI when we have complex options or features.
The biggest thing to remember when handling multiple audiences is don't wreck the majority audience's UX. If you need to implement extra options or features in the UI for the power users, separate them from the core options or features. What I am saying is only show what is needed and have a place separate from the main screens, to make the options available for the power users. The power users will find those options, they don't care where the options or features are they just needed the ability to have them. The regular users don't care about the extra options or features and don't even need to know about them. Keep the regular users processes straight forward. Aim for no frustrate or hassle with them. A good example of how to implement this is do what MS did. They implemented an "Advanced" option, usually in the navigation form of a button to hide all the extra options and features. Another word that works well is "Settings".
Guiding the User.
We have all been guided through wizards that we click "Next...Next...Next" all the way through. This is a great way to walk users through a complex problem. But sometimes users don't need a multi-screen wizard to walk them through a process. Sometimes they just need some clarity or steps to verify against as they complete a screen. A good way to do this is by displaying a vertical wizard. A vertical wizard doesn't have to be a complex process that the user is being walked through. It can simply provide clarity to know that what they are filling out is used for something. A good example of this is Campaign Monitor's sign up wizard.
A last random note is to remember that your users are people. Remember that people hate making decisions, but always want the decisions available.
