【推荐原文】Google User Experience Principle

ctina

原文作者：google
推荐理由：本文阐述了google用户体验的10大准则，其他软件产品可有所借鉴。可以帮助软件测试人员提高可用性测试方面的知识。


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原文：
Google User Experience
Our aspirations
The Google User Experience team aims to create designs that are useful, fast, simple, engaging, innovative, universal, profitable, beautiful, trustworthy, and personable. Achieving a harmonious balance of these ten principles is a constant challenge. A product that gets the balance right is "Googley" – and will satisfy and delight people all over the world.
Ten principles that contribute to a Googley user experience
1. Focus on people – their lives, their work, their dreams.

The Google User Experience team works to discover people's actual needs, including needs they can't always articulate. Armed with that information, Google can create products that solve real-world problems and spark the creativity of all kinds of people. Improving people's lives, not just easing step-by-step tasks, is our goal.

Above all, a well-designed Google product is useful in daily life. It doesn't try to impress users with its whizbang technology or visual style – though it might have both. It doesn't strong-arm people to use features they don't want – but it does provide a natural growth path for those who are interested. It doesn't intrude on people's lives – but it does open doors for users who want to explore the world's information, work more quickly and creatively, and share ideas with their friends or the world.
2. Every millisecond counts.

Nothing is more valuable than people's time. Google pages load quickly, thanks to slim code and carefully selected image files. The most essential features and text are placed in the easiest-to-find locations. Unnecessary clicks, typing, steps, and other actions are eliminated. Google products ask for information only once and include smart defaults. Tasks are streamlined.

Speed is a boon to users. It is also a competitive advantage that Google doesn't sacrifice without good reason.
3. Simplicity is powerful.

Simplicity fuels many elements of good design, including ease of use, speed, visual appeal, and accessibility. But simplicity starts with the design of a product's fundamental functions. Google doesn't set out to create feature-rich products; our best designs include only the features that people need to accomplish their goals. Ideally, even products that require large feature sets and complex visual designs appear to be simple as well as powerful.

Google teams think twice before sacrificing simplicity in pursuit of a less important feature. Our hope is to evolve products in new directions instead of just adding more features.
4. Engage beginners and attract experts.

Designing for many people doesn't mean designing for the lowest common denominator. The best Google designs appear quite simple on the surface but include powerful features that are easily accessible to those users who want them. Our intent is to invite beginners with a great initial experience while also attracting power users whose excitement and expertise will draw others to the product.

A well-designed Google product lets new users jump in, offers help when necessary, and ensures that users can make simple and intuitive use of the product's most valuable features. Progressive disclosure of advanced features encourages people to expand their usage of the product. Whenever appropriate, Google offers smart features that entice people with complex online lives – for instance, people who share data across several devices and computers, work online and off, and crave storage space.
5. Dare to innovate.

Design consistency builds a trusted foundation for Google products, makes users comfortable, and speeds their work. But it is the element of imagination that transforms designs from ho-hum to delightful.

Google encourages innovative, risk-taking designs whenever they serve the needs of users. Our teams encourage new ideas to come out and play. Instead of just matching the features of existing products, Google wants to change the game.
6. Design for the world.

The World Wide Web has opened all the resources of the Internet to people everywhere. For example, many users are exploring Google products while strolling with a mobile device, not sitting at a desk with a personal computer. Our goal is to design products that are contextually relevant and available through the medium and methods that make sense to users. Google supports slower connections and older browsers when possible, and Google allows people to choose how they view information (screen size, font size) and how they enter information (smart query parsing). The User Experience team researches the fundamental differences in user experiences throughout the world and works to design the right products for each audience, device, and culture. Simple translation, or "graceful degradation" of a feature set, isn't sufficient to meet people's needs.

Google is also committed to improving the accessibility of its products. Our desire for simple and inclusive products, and Google's mission to make the world's information universally accessible, demand products that support assistive technologies and provide a useful and enjoyable experience for everyone, including those with physical and cognitive limitations.
7. Plan for today's and tomorrow's business.

Those Google products that make money strive to do so in a way that is helpful to users. To reach that lofty goal, designers work with product teams to ensure that business considerations integrate seamlessly with the goals of users. Teams work to make sure ads are relevant, useful, and clearly identifiable as ads. Google also takes care to protect the interests of advertisers and others who depend on Google for their livelihood.

Google never tries to increase revenue from a product if it would mean reducing the number of Google users in the future. If a profitable design doesn't please users, it's time to go back to the drawing board. Not every product has to make money, and none should be bad for business.
8. Delight the eye without distracting the mind.

If people looked at a Google product and said "Wow, that's beautiful!" the User Experience team would cheer. A positive first impression makes users comfortable, assures them that the product is reliable and professional, and encourages people to make the product their own.

A minimalist aesthetic makes sense for most Google products because a clean, clutter-free design loads quickly and doesn't distract users from their goals. Visually appealing images, color, and fonts are balanced against the needs for speed, scannable text, and easy navigation. Still, "simple elegance" is not the best fit for every product. Audience and cultural context matter. A Google product's visual design should please its users and improve usability for them.
9. Be worthy of people's trust.

Good design can go a long way to earn the trust of the people who use Google products. Establishing Google's reliability starts with the basics – for example, making sure the interface is efficient and professional, actions are easily reversed, ads are clearly identified, terminology is consistent, and users are never unhappily surprised. In addition, Google products open themselves to the world by including links to competitors and encouraging user contributions such as community maps or iGoogle gadgets.

A greater challenge is to make sure that Google demonstrates respect for users' right to own and control their own data. Google is transparent about how it uses information and never shares data outside Google without a user's explicit consent. Our products warn users about such dangers as insecure connections, different privacy policies on other websites, actions that may make users vulnerable to spam, or the possibility that data shared outside Google may be stored elsewhere. Google is reassuring but truthful about data sharing so that users can make informed choices. The larger Google becomes, the more essential it is to live up to our "Don't be evil" motto.
10. Add a human touch.

Google includes a wide range of personalities, and our designs have personality, too. Text and design elements are friendly, quirky, and smart – and not boring, close-minded, or arrogant. Google text talks directly to people and offers the same practical, informal assistance that anyone would offer to a neighbor who asked a question. And Google doesn't let fun or personality interfere with other elements of a design, especially when people's livelihood, or their ability to find vital information, is at stake.

Google doesn't know everything, and no design is perfect. Our products ask for feedback, and Google acts on that feedback. When practicing these design

[ 本帖最后由 ctina 于 2009-5-23 20:56 编辑 ]

fishy

　　我们的愿景

　　谷歌用户体验（Google User Experience）小组的目标是为用户创造出有用的，快速的，简单的，容易融入的，有创意的，通用的，受益的，漂亮的，值得信任的以及个人的产品。协调这十项准则在用户体验中的比例一直是一个非常大的挑战。如果一个产品很好的平衡了各项准则，它可以被称为“谷歌的”。它也将使全世界的用户满意和高兴。

　　“谷歌的”用户体验十大原则

　　1. 以用户为中心 - 他们的生活，工作以及梦想。

　　谷歌的用户体验组专注于研究人们的真正需求，甚至包括一些人们难以表达的。基于研究出来的一些信息，谷歌可以做出一些产品来解决人们现实生活中的难题，来激发不同类型人的创造性。我们的目标是改善人们的生活，而不是简单的循规蹈矩的任务。

　　综上所述，一个好的谷歌设计的产品在日常生活中很有用的。它不会试图用尖端科技和视觉风格来让用户印象深刻 - 尽管它有时是这样的。它不会强烈的要求用户使用他们不想使用的功能 - 却会为感兴趣的人提供一个自然的学习途径。它不会侵犯到人们的生活 - 却会为想要展示信息的人们提供途径，为想要更快捷又有创造性的工作的人提供途径，为想要将想法分享给朋友和世界的人提供途径。

　　2. 每千分之一秒的计数

　　没有什么东西比人们的时间更珍贵了。谷歌的页面下载的非常快，这要归功于瘦代码和认真挑选的图片文件。用户最需要的功能和文本被放在了最容易找到的位置。谷歌的产品剪掉了不必要的点击，输入，步骤以及其他动作。它们有巧妙的默认值，对于信息只做一次请求。任务也都是流线型的。

　　速度对用户来说是大有裨益的。这也是为什么，没有什么特别的理由，谷歌却可以一直不失去竞争优势。

　　3. 简单明了

　　简单囊括了很多好的设计元素，包括易用，快速，视觉吸引以及访问性。但是，简单要从一个产品的基本功能设计开始。谷歌不会开始就去做一个功能功能丰富的产品；我们最好的产品只包含用户需要使用它达到他们目标的功能。理想的情况下，我们甚至会展示给用户一个简单的可视化设计界面却拥有很多功能的产品。

　　如果一个相对不那么重要的特征要是谷歌产品变得复杂，谷歌小组会思考再三的。我们希望能够在新的方向上演变产品，而不只是添加新的功能。

　　4. 新手愿意尝试，老手也被吸引

　　设计要满足很多人并不意味着要满足最大可能数量的人群。最好的谷歌设计外表非常简单而且包含了很强大的功能，学要这些功能的人可以很简单的进入。我们的宗旨是邀请没有用过的人来尝试一下非凡的体验，同时也吸引那些很熟悉的人。这些高手使用产品的兴奋和他们拥有的这项专长可以影响其他人来体验产品。

　　一个拥有好的设计的谷歌产品可以使用户加入产品，当需要帮助的时候提供帮助，并且保证用户可以简单的凭直觉的使用产品最有价值的功能。进阶展开的高阶功能可以鼓励人们拓宽他们对产品的使用。任何恰当的时候，谷歌都会提供一些巧妙的功能来诱使用户使用复杂的线上系统 - 例如，想要在不同硬件和电脑直接分享数据的用户，在线或离线，都渴望得到存储空间。

　　5. 敢于创新

　　设计的连续性是要为谷歌产品建立一个可信的基础，是用户使用起来感觉舒服和快速。这是设计从老套到新奇的一个想像要素。

　　当谷歌服务于用户的时候，我们鼓励创新和冒险的设计。我们鼓励新的想法的产生和实验。而不是只是和现在的功能相配，我们想改变游戏的玩法。

　　6. 为全世界而设计

　　万维网为人们在任何地方都开放了所有的网络资源。例如，许多用户在散步的时候就可以浏览谷歌的产品，而不是坐在电脑旁。我们的目标是设计出通过媒体在境地上相关的并且可用的产品，这些产品的使用方法对用户来说要是讲得通的。谷歌支持比较慢的网络连接和比较老的浏览器，也支持用户选择他们浏览信息的样式（屏幕大小，字体大小）和他们如何输入信息（巧妙的查询解析）。用户体验组在世界范围内对用户基本的体验做了调查，致力于为每个受众，装备和文化设计出恰到好处的产品。简单的翻译，或者说产品功“功能衰减”，并不能满足人们的需求。

　　谷歌也承诺改善产品的可进入性。我们渴望即简单，功能又丰富的产品，谷歌的使命是使世界的信息成为普遍可访问的，需要的产品，他们支持辅助技术并且提供一个有用的享受的体验给每个人，包括身体和认知能力有限制的人。

　　7. 为今天的明天的商业做计划

　　那些能赚钱的谷歌产品努力用一种方法能够为用户提供帮助。为了达到这个高的目标，设计师与产品团队一同合作确保商务事项无缝的与用户的目标融合在一起。设计师和产品团队一同合作确保谷歌的广告和真正的广告一样是相关的，有用的，清晰可识别的。谷歌也很小心的保护着网络的广告商和其他依赖于谷歌赚钱的人。

　　谷歌从不为了增加收入而使一个产品可能在将来丢掉一些用户。如果一个有利可图的设计并没有得到用户的满意，那么它必须要重新设计。不是所有的产品都必须要赚钱，没有什么比商业更重要。

　　8. 赏心悦目

　　如果人们看到谷歌的产品说：“哇，真漂亮！”用户体验小组会很开心。正面的第一印象使用户舒服，使他们相信这个产品是可信的专业的，并能鼓励他们让这个产品成为自己的。

　　对于多数谷歌产品来说最低限度的审美是有意义的，因为一个干净的整齐的设计，下载速度很快，还不会分散用户的目标。设计精美的图片，颜色和字体要和要求的速度，便于浏览的文本以及简单的导航进行平衡。然而，“简单的优雅”并不是所有产品的最好选择。受众和文化背景有关系。一个谷歌产品的可视化设计应该使用户满意并且要为用户不断地改善可用性。

　　9. 值得得到用户的信任

　　谷歌的设计可以在长时间内得到用户的信任。确立谷歌的可靠性要从基础谈起 - 例如，确保界面是高效的和专业的，操作可以很容易反向的，广告是清晰可辨的，术语是一致的，同时用户从不会感到不高兴的遇到惊奇的东西。除此之外，谷歌的产品对世界开放，包括它竞争对手的链接，也鼓励用户的贡献，例如地图小组或者iGoogle gadgets。

　　一个非常大的挑战是确保谷歌展现出了用户对自己的数据的拥有和控制的权利。谷歌使用数据是透明的，没有得到用户明确的许可，谷歌从不把用户的数据共享给谷歌外部。我们的产品也警告用户类似的危险，例如不安全的连接，其他网站上的各种私人政策，一些容易被病毒攻击的操作，或者共享在谷歌以外的数据被存到别的地方的可能性。谷歌可以令用户放心数据共享的信任，因此用户有告发检举的权利。谷歌变得越大，实践“不要成为罪人”的箴言越必不可少。

　　10. 增加用户的接触

　　谷歌包含了世界范围内的个性，我们的设计也的确遵循个性。文本和设计元素都是友好的，多变的和巧妙的 - 而不是令人厌倦的，有成见的或傲慢自大的。谷歌文本直接和人们对话并提供相同实用的，非正规的助手。就像任何人都可以为你问问题的邻居提供帮助一样。谷歌没有让有趣或个性化妨碍其他设计元素，尤其当人们的生计或者他们寻找极其重要的信息处于危险关头的时候。

　　谷歌并不是无所不知的，也没有设计是完美的。我们的产品也在寻求反馈，谷歌会对反馈有所行动。实践这些设计准则的时候，谷歌用户体验小组也同时在时间允许的范围内为每个产品寻求最理想的平衡。反复，创新和改善的循环在不断的继续着。