Unlocking Features: The Importance of Discoverability in UX Design

Research-Based Strategies for Enhancing User Interfaces

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As UX professionals, we constantly face challenge of making our designs intuitive and easy to use. A key aspect of this is discoverability — the extent to which users can find and understand the features and functionality of an interface. This article explores the complex nature of discoverability, drawing from recent research by Mackamul et al. (2024) and other researchers in the field.

Understanding discoverability

Let’s start by defining discoverability. You might think it’s straightforward but like most things in UX (and life) it’s not. There’s no single definition of it, and various researchers offer different perspectives.

For example, Mackamul et al. (2024) define discoverability as "the ability for users to perceive and comprehend a system, function or input method as such when encountering it, despite a lack of previous awareness or knowledge." This definition emphasises both perception and comprehension, occurring either through intentional exploration or serendipitous discovery.

Earlier, Norman (1988) laid the groundwork for our understanding of discoverability. He focused on the user's ability to identify possible actions within a system and how to perform them. This perspective emphasises the immediate, often intuitive grasp users need to have of an interface's capabilities.

Another popular definition by Lidwell and colleagues (2010) define discoverability as the degree to which a product or system enables users to identify its capabilities and how to use them. The last definition we’ll look at is by Tullis and Albert (2013) who refer to discoverability as how easily users can find new features or information that they haven't previously encountered.

While these definitions share common themes, they each emphasise slightly different aspects of discoverability. Nielsen focuses on the ease of discovery, Lidwell et al. highlight the system's role in enabling discovery, and Tullis and Albert stress the novelty aspect. Mackamul et al.'s definition is the most recent one and incorporates both the perceptual and cognitive aspects of discovery, and acknowledges both intentional and unintentional discovery processes. This shows that once more the definition we choose to adopt for a concept can have a direct impact on our work.

The importance of discoverability

The significance of discoverability in UX design cannot be overstated. While there's limited research on feature usage, existing evidence suggests that many features in applications go unused or undiscovered. For example, studies by Pendo found that only about 20% of features in applications are commonly used. This statistic is particularly alarming when we consider the resources invested in developing these features.

Discoverability plays a crucial role in bridging what Norman et al. (1986) termed the "gulf of evaluation" and the "gulf of execution". These concepts help us understand the challenges users face when interacting with a system:

1. The gulf of evaluation refers to the difficulty users have in understanding the state of the system. When features are not easily discoverable, users may struggle to comprehend what the system is capable of or how to interpret its current state.

2. The gulf of execution relates to the challenge of translating intentions into actions. Even if users know what they want to do, they may struggle to discover how to actually perform the necessary actions within the system.

Poor discoverability can affect both of these gulfs. When users can't easily find or understand features, the gulf of evaluation widens. Similarly, when the means to execute actions are not clear or discoverable, the gulf of execution expands. This can lead to user frustration, inefficient use of the system, and potentially, abandonment of certain features or the entire system.

Moreover, as we saw earlier, discoverability is not just about initial use but also encompasses how easily users can find new features or information they haven't previously encountered. This ongoing process of discovery is crucial for users to fully leverage a system's capabilities over time, continually bridging both gulfs as they explore and use the system.

In a business context, these issues could translate to reduced user satisfaction, lower adoption rates, and ultimately, lost value from the invested development resources. By focusing on enhancing discoverability, we can help users bridge both the gulf of evaluation and the gulf of execution more effectively. This can lead to better user experiences, more efficient use of system features, and potentially greater return on the investment made in feature development. Good discoverability ensures that users can both understand what a system can do and figure out how to make it do what they want.

Discoverability in context: related concepts

To fully grasp discoverability, it's crucial to understand how it relates to and differs from other UX concepts:

1. Learnability: While often discussed alongside discoverability, learnability is a distinct concept. Discoverability focuses on how easily users can find and recognise features or functionalities within a system, both during initial use and ongoing interaction. Learnability, as described by Grossman et al. (2009), refers to the ease with which users can understand how to use discovered features and become proficient with them over time. In essence, discoverability is about finding what's possible, while learnability is about mastering what's been found.

2. Communicability: Originating from Semiotic Engineering, de Souza et al. (2005) describe communicability as the system's ability to convey its underlying design intent and interactive principles to users. Unlike discoverability, communicability presents a solely system-based approach and doesn't focus on whether users actually perceive these principles.

3. Navigability: This concept relates to how easily users can move through a system. Norman (2013) describes it in terms of the clarity of what to do and where to go in an interface. While good navigability can aid discoverability, especially for features, it's more focused on guiding users through known parts of a system rather than helping them discover new elements.

4. Findability: Findability is defined as the ease with which a particular object can be discovered or located (Morville, 2005). This concept assumes users are aware of and actively seeking specific functionality. Discoverability, however, includes both intentional searches and unintentional discoveries.

5. Guessability: This can be described as the user's ability to infer how to interact with an interface based on prior knowledge or experience (Wobbrock et al., 2005) . While it can aid discoverability, guessability focuses solely on immediate perception rather than the entire discovery process.

6. Noticeability: This concept focuses on the likelihood of something capturing users' attention, making them aware of its existence. In UX, noticeability is explored across various contexts, from mobile notifications to public displays and is influenced by factors such as visual properties, position, and timing of interface elements. Noticeability is a crucial first step in the discoverability process — for a feature to be discoverable, it must first be noticeable. However, high noticeability alone doesn't guarantee discoverability; users must also comprehend the element's function.

Strategies for enhancing discoverability

According to Mackamul et al. (2024) the following strategies have been identified for improving discoverability:

1. Written instructions: Clear, concise text near interface elements can guide users to discover features. For example, adding a small "Swipe for more options" label next to a carousel of items.

2. Gradual discovery: Introducing features progressively helps users discover functionality without feeling overwhelmed. Think of the way Slack reveals more advanced features as users engage with its basic features.

3. Subtle animation: Small movements can hint at interactive elements or additional content. For example, a slight bounce effect on icons to suggest they're tappable, or a partial reveal of off-screen content to indicate scrolling is possible.

4. Universal GUI elements: Using familiar interface components aids recognition and discovery. Some examples of this are standard dropdown menus, radio buttons, or checkboxes that users readily understand.

5. Immediate feedback: Prompt responses to user actions encourage exploration and discovery. For example, a colour change or subtle sound when hovering over or tapping an interactive element.

6. Contextual cues: Providing relevant hints based on the user's current task or system state. For example, suggesting related tools when a user selects an image in a document editor.

7. Depiction: Using visual representations, particularly icons, to communicate functionality. An example of this is using a camera icon to represent photo capture functionality, or a graphical representation of a gesture to indicate how to perform it.

8. Prioritisation: Emphasising important features to ensure their discovery, while de-emphasising less important ones. For example, making the 'Send' button in an email client more prominent than advanced formatting options.

It’s worth noting that these strategies' effectiveness can vary based on the specific context and user needs. It’s important to balance discoverability with other design considerations, such as avoiding interface clutter. For instance, while written instructions can be helpful, overusing them might lead to a cluttered, overwhelming interface.

Airbnb is good example of a website with effective discoverability.

While these strategies provide a solid foundation for enhancing discoverability, it's crucial to emphasise the importance of conducting UX research to determine which approaches work best for a specific product and its users.

Measuring and evaluating discoverability

But how can we measure and evaluate discoverability? One of the challenges highlighted by Mackamul et al. (2024) is the lack of standardised methods for this. However, several approaches can be used:

1. Think-aloud protocols: Have users verbalise their thoughts as they explore an interface.

2. Eye-tracking studies: Analyse where users look when trying to discover features.

3. A/B testing: Compare different design approaches to see which leads to better feature discovery.

4. Long-term usage analysis: Track feature usage over time to understand what users are (and aren't) discovering.

5. Discount usability methods: Employ techniques like heuristic evaluation with a focus on discoverability.

Conclusion

Discoverability remains a complex and crucial aspect of UX design. As we've explored, it encompasses not just initial recognition of features, but also ongoing discovery throughout a user's interaction with a system. The various strategies discussed, from written instructions to subtle animations, offer us a toolkit for enhancing discoverability. However, the effectiveness of these strategies can vary widely depending on the specific context and user needs.