What a 50-year-old tractor taught me about UX

On tractors and software: how one tiny UI element connects them

You can see a tractor in almost every village yard in Central Serbia. It was a universal vehicle and a part of ordinary life while I was growing up. I learned to drive it when I was still a kid. What always gave me trouble, though, was the cold-start procedure: this odd, finicky ritual I could never seem to remember when I needed it. It is so awkwardly different from the standard ignition routine that I thought there might be some hidden computer inside the machine, sabotaging me every time when I tried to do a cold start.

Detail of tractor plate

Thankfully, some clever designer of the tractor interface noticed this problem and offered an elegant solution: a small plate next to the keyhole where step-by-step ignition instructions are written. It was simple yet ingenious: the driver did not need to carry the tractor manual and scroll through it (usually under hard working conditions) - only to recall this complicated procedure. Just to remember, this was designed more than 50 years ago.

This kind of aid is called "Just in time help". It is revealed exactly when it's needed, at the right place[1]. In the tractor example, the instruction plate is tucked away so it doesn't obstruct, yet it's there to remind the driver when needed.

Software designers recognized the potential of JIT help in the early days of computing and quickly adopted it. With the computer screen as a dynamic medium, it is easy to program the system to show helpful messages exactly where and when needed. The users loved this novel form of aid: the software became more user-friendly, offering contextual help only when relevant and disappearing otherwise.

The first JIT help interface that I remember was from DOS word processors and IDE[2] compilers in the 90s. It was designed as a bar in the footer menu, showing available commands that could be recalled using function keys. Another practical example of JIT help was manifested when using main menu commands: one letter in each menu label was rendered differently, indicating that the command could be quickly invoked by pressing that key.

My first compiler; notice the JIT help labels and colored letters that assist in keyboard shortcuts

In contemporary interfaces, JIT help is the most commonly presented through tooltips and form validation messages. Another useful interface pattern, originally invented in bookkeeping software and popularized by search engines - is autosuggest: while the user is typing a question, the system suggests related entries, enabling them better formulate what they want to ask, or to simply choose one of the entries from the list.

Why users love JIT help? One of the answers comes from Don Norman, a prominent expert in the area of user experience design:

The power of unaided mind is highly overrated (...) The real powers come from devising external aids that enhance cognitive abilities.[3]

JIT help almost screams to user: "Look here, I will help you; you don't need a manual". It is demonstrated through user research that JIT help improves task performance and overall user satisfaction. Help that arrives at the moment of need fits how people actually behave.

This novel interface paradigm reduces users' cognitive load by helping them recall information when necessary. When using this kind of interface, users' confidence in the system increases. They perceive the system as responsive, and as one that "understands" their intent well; all of that while keeping the user in control. When JIT help is adequately designed, the product becomes self-explanatory.

Apart from the digital world, we can find many well-designed examples of JIT help around us. Some airports, for example, feature panels that reveal additional information as you approach them - just in time:

Check-in zone numbers are visible from far away; as you are approaching, all related flights for the target zone become visible

Have you ever found yourself in trouble when connecting cables to the back of an audio device, not knowing where each cable goes? Fortunately, the designers of this amplifier prevented a headache by writing labels for connectors upside-down:

Simple yet brilliant JIT help

JIT help does not necessarily need to be written - it may consist solely of icons:

Help symbols seen from far away

...and when entered the scene

Finally, JIT help does not need to be visual at all. GPS navigation is a common example, where the voice tells the driver in advance on when to steer. Some ATM devices offer proactive auditory help when a person approaches them. Museum audio guides tell a story related to the nearby exhibit using a sophisticated location-based system. Public transportation system announcements like "The next stop is.." help riders stay oriented. Smartwatches vibrate to signal that the exercise interval is over, prompting the user to stop for a break or to switch to the next exercise.

JIT help can only do so much; this is by design, because it offers brief, thus limited information. It is useful for clarifying simple interface concepts but insufficient for explaining more complex subjects. Try to explain cloud computing, cybersecurity or machine learning in a paragraph or less; it's too complex, and needs depth, deeper learning, more material and understanding on multiple levels.

Why JIT help is so effective? This is because users generally don't read online documentation and manuals. And terribly conceived, non-contextual and inaccessible help documents only contributed to that.

"Most help doesn't really help you, it's just waste of time"

Designers should be aware of JIT help downsides. For example, placeholders in form fields can actually ruin the usability because they disappear when the form field is in focus. Thus they are considered anti-patterns.

Placeholder that gets hidden when the form field gets the focus

It's important to note that asking an LLM or search engine is not considered just in time help. By design, JIT help recognizes user intent and is presented contextually and automatically; by contrast, having users actively search for information elsewhere represents a different pattern.

JIT help is one of the evergreen user interface patterns that have stood the test of time. But use it sparingly; do not overload interface with unneeded labels, tooltips and other extravagant dynamic assistance (anyone remember Clippy?). Assume that users already know most of the interface patterns, so overusing the JIT help may be counterproductive.

Remember to ask yourself those three basic questions when designing JIT help[4]:

Those questions can assist in evaluating the effectiveness of JIT help during user testing.

Don't forget: JIT help has its place in physical objects, too. We noticed it on hi-fi devices, London street crossings, inscriptions on fuel doors, highway rumble strips and of course - tractors.

However, its name says "when" the help appears, not "where". If we want to be technically strict, it should be called "Just in time and place" - but the JIT abbreviation is common and works well in this case. ↩︎

Integrated development environment is an application that provides all necessary tools for writing, testing, editing and compiling the code. It became standard in the 80s. ↩︎

Don Norman, "Things that make us smart" ↩︎

https://uxdesign.cc/building-proper-communication-between-a-product-and-its-users-69b1ffd13a6a ↩︎