Maximum intuition
A one-second glance tells an outsider what the thing is and what to do next.
What it means
The glance is one second long. In that second a person who has never seen the thing says what it is for and what to do next. Every name answers “what is this?” in its first one or two words, in the person’s words. Anything that needs an explanation is removed.
The test
Show a screenshot or the first lines to someone outside the work for one second, then take it away. Ask what it is for and what they would do next. A wrong or slow answer is a break, and so is any label that only makes sense to the builder.
Levers by surface
| Surface | What carries the glance here |
|---|---|
| Screen | Page, tab, section and group names. Button labels in the words the person is thinking in. An urgency text or a colour on the row. A unit beside every number. |
| The subject line, the first line and the button label. | |
| Form | The question in the person’s words and the required marker in the header. |
| Document | Headings that state the rule and a first sentence that answers the question. |
Research
The reviewer’s fourth rule reads: “Maximum intuition (meaning, the words we use for titles, naming convention, descriptions, should be as few words as possible (answer in the first 1-2 words what that thing is), and everything that can make the information he is looking at 100% intuitive (meaning, he has no question as to what that thing is, it needs to be present)”. It continues: “they should be able to use it without reading a single instructions, or watching any tutorial”.
On an ordering system the reviewer called “Post to Ledger” a developer phrase, asked that “Reset to 2985” become “Fill to Par”, and wrote “if it needs EXPLANATION, it should NOT be on our system”.
The Microsoft Writing Style Guide asks writers to lead with what is most important. Intuit’s Writing small page gives a Do of “Get expert help with Full Service” against a long question. Intuit’s Actions page asks for labels specific enough that people know what happens next.