Principle 5: Value change

Creates a dynamic and continuous narrative relationship when value subject changes. Text based interface objects, that is to say numbers and text, can change their values. This is one of those 'elusive obvious' concepts. Text and number changes are so common that they pass us by without us bringing to them distinction and rigor to assess their role in supporting usability So what is the user experiencing when values change? In user experiences, the 12 UX in Motion Principles are opportunities to support usability. The three opportunities here are to connect the user to the reality behind the data, the concept of agency, and to the dynamic nature of the values themselves. Let's look at the example of a user dashboard. When value based interface objects load with no 'value change,' what this conveys to the user is that the numbers are static objects. They're like painted signs displaying a speed limit of 55 mph. The numbers and values are representations of things that are happening in reality. That reality could be time, income, game scores, business metrics, fitness tracking, etc. What we are distinguishing through motion is that the 'value subject' is dynamic and the values are reflecting something from that dynamic value set. Not only does this relationship get lost with static objects comprised visually of values, but another deeper opportunity is also lost. When we employ representations of dynamic systems in the form of motion based values, it activates a sort of 'neurofeedback.' Users, grasping the dynamic nature of their data can now be cause in altering those values and are empowered to become agents. When the values are static, there is less connection to the reality behind the values, and users lose their agency. Credit: Barthelemy Chalvet, Gal Shir, Unknown The Value Change Principle can occur both in realtime and non-realtime events. In realtime events, the user is interacting with the objects to change values. In non-realtime events, such as loaders and transitions, the values change without user input to reflect a dynamic narrative.