Many designers strive to create products that are easy to navigate and have a clear flow so that users can easily get through, at a glance. To create and structure something with this level of intuition and estimation, UX designers need to understand the affordances. But what is affordance in UX and why is it important?
Affordances are all around us, but understanding their impact on UX design is essential for designing high-quality, easy-to-use products. Read on as we explain in detail what are affordances, the different kinds of affordances and how can they be used for maximum optimization in UX design:
What are Affordances?
Affordance in design would mean a compelling indicator of a product or a particular item's performance and these include features that are perceived as real factors. For example, if you see a door handle, you may immediately assume that its function is to open the door. If you see a light switch, you might think already that you can switch it on and turn on the light. When you look at a chair, you know for a fact that you can sit on it. These are all possibilities that are mentally built by default and are hence termed as affordances.
But before we dive into the details of Affordances in UX design, let's talk about
Six different types of affordances:
1. Clear Affordances
Clear Affordances are clear, obvious, and perceptual features of an item that help you understand how to use the item. These affordances mean the use of visually-capturing features, eye-catching appearance, and accompanying language and text to let users know how an object will be used. For example, this explicit access could be explained in how a button is directly tagged with the word "login". It denotes the action of the item with its text, design, size, and shape quite obviously and is hence a clear affordance.
2. Hidden Affordances
Hidden Affordances are the hidden, subtle, implicit features of an object or a particular product. The clues that may indicate the function of the item in question, are not clear and they are not even displayed before the action. For instance, an example of a hidden affordance is a drop-down menu or other clickable feature, icon, or visual symbol that only appears or expands to show its additional features when the user navigates or hovers the cursor over it. The subtlety that the menu has, giving out no clues of its own, is what makes it a hidden affordance.
3. Pattern Affordances
Pattern Affordances are based on previously established rules that indicate the function of a certain area of the given item or product. It is widely used or agreed upon as a pattern/protocol on how things work, i.e, the user flow. Take a look at the camera, for example. Most, if not all, of the main action buttons, are in the upper right corner of the camera body. Another example is underlined, italicized, or different text colors that indicate hyperlinks in the text.
4. Figurative Affordances
Figurative affordances are based on images, icons, or illustrations of the actual or original object to convey the goal. For example, a shopping cart icon for online purchases, an envelope for emails and messages, and a microphone image for recording options.
5. Wrong Affordances
If the item's attributes suggest a usage that the item can't do, it may be wrong. Examples of this are clickable and non-clickable buttons, underlined text without links, or a remote control that turns on the light but not the TV. Wrong or False Affordances often occur by accident or as a result of a lack of effective design techniques.
6. Negative Affordances
Negative affordances are used when a lack of functionality or interactivity is communicated. This type of feature is typically used when you need more information from the user and you don't want to go to the next step. For example, the grey Login button remains inactive until the user enters appropriate data.
How to design the best features with Affordances
Affordance Design is done with the aim to reduce user-flow-related obstacles and friction. The UX design made should not mislead or surprise users by causing a lack of expected function/behavior or unwanted consequences. The interactive UX elements need to stand out and the important features need to be visually and functionally clear. To maintain these, there are a few things to consider when designing at an affordable price. These include:
- Adhere to Affordance Design Principles
Users expect specific affordance protocols for digital interfaces. For example, a magnifying glass, "Search" in the search bar or a prominent logo in the upper left corner of your desktop. Following these affordance rules will help users flow through the product. Following affordance design principles help in creating an intuitive and easy-to-use design. Many experts, from UX designers to experts in any UI UX design agency in other disciplines, have devised simple affordance principles that can be followed to reduce user confusion.
- Use Bold, Appealing UX Writing
If you can't create effective enhanced features in your visual design due to color restrictions, software restrictions, budget, etc., you can still do something to ensure that you get the most out of your UX design. Keep the users informed by linking the buttons, gestures, or keywords to some useful, explanatory text. Keep the language simple and easy to understand for your users, so that they can interpret the function accordingly.
- Understand the Mindset of the User
Invest your time and energy into detailed, meaningful UX research and learn what your users expect when they interact within the context of the product. While most users have certain things or functions to expect from any digital or offline interface, you can still deduce a few specific, unique features that are important to the user and the group they represent. Use these to build pattern affordances that will help the user to complete the required user flow without any obstacles.
Last thought...
Affordances and their role in interfaces are powerful in terms of influence in UX design. You can read more about affordances in relation to the value system in Design thinking. The best and most effective way to ensure that your affordance-based design is in the right place in terms of delivery and quality is to test it out with your users. If users can work and navigate quickly with minimal clumsiness and error, then you know that you are on the right track with your UX design and they are on their right path with the accurate user flow.
