Mystery meat navigation
Encyclopedia
Mystery meat navigation (also known as MMN) is a disparaging term coined in 1998 by author and web designer Vincent Flanders to describe a visually attractive but concurrently inefficient, confusing, or abstruse user interface
, usually one that is Internet
-based. Such interfaces lack a user-centered design
, emphasizing aesthetic appearance
, white space
, and the concealment of relevant information over basic practicality and functionality
.
The epithet "mystery meat
" refers to the meat products often served in American public school cafeterias whose forms have been so thoroughly reprocessed that their exact types can no longer be identified by their appearances: like them, the methods of MMN are clear to the producer but baffling to the consumer. Flanders originally and temporarily described the phenomenon as Saturnic navigation in reference to the Saturn Corporation whose company web site epitomized this phenomenon. On this web site, "The typical form of MMN is represented by menus
composed of unrevealing icons
that are replaced with explicative text only when the mouse
cursor
hovers over them".
, as well as organisations such as WebAIM
recommend against the use of phrases such as "click here" as link text. "Link text should not be overly general, and should indicate the nature of the link target". The text should also make sense when read out of context. It is also pointed out that a mouse might not be available on the target device (e.g. because of a touchscreen
), and that screen reader
s may review a list of available links on a page. Pages would also suffer when printed. A further disadvantage given is that it hinders the search engine optimisation of a page.
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
, usually one that is Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-based. Such interfaces lack a user-centered design
User-centered design
In broad terms, user-centered design or pervasive usability is a design philosophy and a process in which the needs, wants, and limitations of end users of a product are given extensive attention at each stage of the design process...
, emphasizing aesthetic appearance
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
, white space
White space (visual arts)
In page layout, illustration and sculpture, white space is often referred to as negative space. It is that portion of a page left unmarked: the space between graphics, margins, gutters, space between columns, space between lines of type or figures and objects drawn or depicted...
, and the concealment of relevant information over basic practicality and functionality
Function (engineering)
In engineering, a function is interpreted as a specific process, action or task that a system is able to perform .-In engineering design:In the lifecycle of engineering projects, there are usually distinguished subsequently: Requirements and Functional specification documents. The Requirements...
.
The epithet "mystery meat
Mystery meat
Mystery meat is a disparaging term for meat products, typically ground or otherwise processed, such as Spam, Salisbury steaks, sausages, or hot dogs, that have an unidentifiable source. Most often the term is used in reference to food served in institutional cafeterias, such as prison food or an...
" refers to the meat products often served in American public school cafeterias whose forms have been so thoroughly reprocessed that their exact types can no longer be identified by their appearances: like them, the methods of MMN are clear to the producer but baffling to the consumer. Flanders originally and temporarily described the phenomenon as Saturnic navigation in reference to the Saturn Corporation whose company web site epitomized this phenomenon. On this web site, "The typical form of MMN is represented by menus
Menu (computing)
In computing and telecommunications, a menu is a list of commands presented to an operator by a computer or communications system. A menu is used in contrast to a command-line interface, where instructions to the computer are given in the form of commands .Choices given from a menu may be selected...
composed of unrevealing icons
Icon (computing)
A computer icon is a pictogram displayed on a computer screen and used to navigate a computer system or mobile device. The icon itself is a small picture or symbol serving as a quick, intuitive representation of a software tool, function or a data file accessible on the system. It functions as an...
that are replaced with explicative text only when the mouse
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
cursor
Cursor (computers)
In computing, a cursor is an indicator used to show the position on a computer monitor or other display device that will respond to input from a text input or pointing device. The flashing text cursor may be referred to as a caret in some cases...
hovers over them".
"Click here"
The W3C's Web Content Accessibility GuidelinesWeb Content Accessibility Guidelines
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are part of a series of Web accessibility guidelines published by the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative. They consist of a set of guidelines for making content accessible, primarily for disabled users, but also for all user agents, including highly limited...
, as well as organisations such as WebAIM
WebAIM
WebAIM is a non-profit organization based at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. WebAIM has provided web accessibility solutions since 1999...
recommend against the use of phrases such as "click here" as link text. "Link text should not be overly general, and should indicate the nature of the link target". The text should also make sense when read out of context. It is also pointed out that a mouse might not be available on the target device (e.g. because of a touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
), and that screen reader
Screen reader
A screen reader is a software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the screen . This interpretation is then re-presented to the user with text-to-speech, sound icons, or a Braille output device...
s may review a list of available links on a page. Pages would also suffer when printed. A further disadvantage given is that it hinders the search engine optimisation of a page.