[Sigia-l] List order

[Dr. Marios Pittas]

I would agree with Ziya with regards to the:

1. small number of items makes deciding of the list order not terribly
important.
2. the content of the list (from the view point of letters etc. (lexical?)
might affect the readability of the list
3. list familiarity affects scanning effort and time.
4. Use of graphical cues can improve users scanning ability

An additional point to make though is that ordering of the lists should
depend on the user's tasks and goals (and what users know before start using
the list).. geographical classification may be needed if people would need
to search based on location.. so to answer a big part of the "depends" you
need to know (or tell us if you do know) what the user needs to do, beyond
the "select an item from the list" (that is just a UI action).. The other
part of the "depends", like Ziya said depends (!) on the data (amount and
kind of data) which you need to study before you can make a decision..

> But I'm meeting resistance from long-timers in the firm, who opt
> for "the way we've always done it."

Try to find out why they have always been doing that way.. what was their
considerations-rational during their design.. at the end of the day the
users will be used to that method of selection which may cause some
resistance to change.. So the benefits would need to be obvious and getting
the support of one group may help you in getting the support of another
group.. While trying to understand why they have been doing it that way all
along, you may also learn of technical difficulties etc. which may or may
not still be there.. then they may see the chance for change IF that is
required..

Marios


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