I couldn't find Preferences.
After some frustrated head scratching wondering where they would have put it, I saw it.
I would see the same phenomenon in usability tests with drop down menus where the top choice was preselected (reverse video). Humans process a list like this:
Top item set off typographically in some way = column title and is not a choice; therefore ignore.
The reversed video selection became invisible as users would scan the not-highlighted choices under it. Because Preferences is a single entry and is underlined, I think I processed it the same way.
These mental shortcuts usually make us more efficient--but sometimes they get in our way. As designers, try to avoid making the top choice different in any way.
2 comments:
I've been caught by this blind spot, too. It's been a default Windows drop-down menu list characteristic for a long time and multiple releases. Something has to be selected/ highlighted, and until the user makes a selection, the top item is "IT". Compounding the problem, the color schemes used for a lot of products tend to obscure the text on the selected/ highlighted item. I prefer a pale color over normal text for such selections, rather than the reverse colors usually used, because the user is more likely to see the item as part of the list.
I also get caught with this blind spot, and like you, didn't see 'Preferences' until a second or third look at the very short list in your screen capture. My online TV guide for our cable service is the same -- I'll move from one 'page' to the next and not see the first item as it's highlighted in reverse and I assume it's a column header.
Thanks for reminding us of this, Mike. I'd never really thought about it before, but because you've documented the issue, I realise that it's a failing in many lists. I don't know what the answer is though, especially for lists like an online TV guide where *something* has to be selected.
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