Wizard-based User Interface (UI)

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A Wizard-based User Interface (UI) is an user inteface that guides an end-user through a sequence of dialog boxes, leading the user through a series of well-defined steps to perform complex, infrequently executed, or unfamiliar tasks.

  • Context:
    • It can simplify tasks by breaking them down into smaller, manageable steps.
    • It is particularly useful for guiding users through initial setup or configuration processes.
    • It may however inhibit deeper understanding of a process and could potentially substitute for clearer design.
    • It varies in name across different operating systems. In Mac OS X, they are called "assistants," while GNOME refers to its wizards as "assistants."
    • The use of UI wizards is a subject of controversy among user interface designers as it promotes modal windows, which some consider contrary to proper human interface design.
    • ...
  • Example(s):
  • Counter-Example(s):
    • A Direct Manipulation Interface, such as a drawing canvas in a graphic design software, where users interact directly with the interface elements without going through guided steps.
    • A Command Line Interface (CLI), where users input textual commands to perform tasks, rather than being guided by a sequence of dialog boxes.
    • A Menu-Driven Interface, such as the main menu in many software applications, which provides a list of options to choose from, rather than a sequential process.
    • A Touch User Interface, such as a swipe gesture on a smartphone to delete an email or a message, where the interaction doesn't involve a step-by-step guided process.
    • ...
  • See: Dialog Box, Expert System, Web Application, Automated Online Assistant, Oracle Designer, Modal Window, User Interface Design.

References

2023

  • (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_(software) Retrieved:2023-5-31.
    • A software wizard or setup assistant is a user interface that leads you through a sequence of small steps, like a dialog box to configure a program for the first time. A complex, rare, or unfamiliar task may be easier with a wizard that breaks the task into simpler pieces. But a wizard may be a barrier to deeper understanding, and a substitute for clearer design.[1]

2014

  • (Wikipedia, 2014) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_(software) Retrieved:2014-10-28.
    • A software wizard or setup assistant is a user interface type that presents a user with a sequence of dialog boxes that lead the user through a series of well-defined steps. Tasks that are complex, infrequently performed, or unfamiliar may be easier to perform using a wizard. In contrast, an expert system guides a user through a series of (usually yes/no) questions to solve a problem.

      By 2001, wizards had become commonplace in most consumer-oriented operating systems, although not always under the name "wizard." In Mac OS X, for example, they are called "assistants"; some examples include the "Setup Assistant," which is run at initial bootup of the Macintosh, and the "Network Setup Assistant," which has a similar function to the MS-Windows "New Connection Wizard." GNOME refers to its wizards as "assistants."

      Many web applications, for instance online booking sites, make use of the wizard paradigm to complete lengthy interactive processes, sometimes becoming similar to automated online assistants. Oracle Designer also uses wizards extensively.

      The use of wizards is controversial among user interface designersbecause wizards encourage modal windows, which their opponents consider antithetical to proper human interface design. The Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications (Version 3.0) urges technical writers to refer to these assistants as "wizards" and to use lowercase letters.

2003

  • Johann Oberleitner, and Thomas Gschwind. (2003). “Composing distributed components with the component workbench." Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
    • … another component. A user interface wizard can automatically create these adapters. The ... implementation language. The user can provide the conversions within the user interface wizard responsible for adapter conversions. Another ...

1997

  • Robert St. Amant. (1997). “Navigation and planning in a mixed-initiative user interface.” In: Proceedings of AAAI/IAAI.
    • QUOTE: ... and modifies the text fields, menu boxes, buttons, and icons of a dialog box, NIFT ... it will be helpful to concentrate on a particular style of interaction; user interface wizards provide a ... The term “wizard” describes a style of interaction that has become popular in commercial user ...
  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :2
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