The alternative to uniformity is distinctiveness. Distinctiveness is also about the appearance of visual objects, such as screens, forms and controls.
Distinctiveness is accomplished with visual cues, such as color, image, shape and layout. In contrast with uniformity, distinctiveness implies that visual objects, as well as panel objects, should have individual, distinct visual attributes and layout. In sound design, it implies that different tunes should be used to distinguish among situations.
Distinctiveness enables at-a-glance recognition of the object type. In particular, it facilitates the recognition of exceptional situations of which the users should be aware. If the new screen appears to be different from those the users saw before, then the users may be provoked to explore the new screen and eventually will notice that something is unusual.
Consider the example above about using colors. To help the users recognize that a screen display is actually a warning message, we may use distinct colors. Moreover, we can use color codes to help the users to recognize types of warning messages at a glance and to recognize that they are working in exceptional modes. We can define levels of boldness, from modest pastels to psychedelic colors, to indicate various levels of exceptions.
Distinctiveness hampers learning, as well as the user performance. If all screens or controls have a unique appearance, then users may be overwhelmed by the variety of visual features, resulting in learning difficulties and high rates of recognition errors. Similarly, if all situations have distinctive sounds, then users may not be able to memorize all the different tunes and eventually fail to recognize the situation.
In panel design , distinctiveness means higher maintenance costs due to the variety of parts required in stock.
Updated on 29 Feb 2016.