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Rigidity

Rigidity refers to the friction encountered when attempting to make changes. It is the effort required to perform what should ideally be a simple update or modification. High Rigidity can interrupt the flow of work, leading to increased cognitive strain as users must perform repetitive or complex tasks to progress in their work. This is particularly disruptive during explorative creative processes when quick iterations are needed.

While some level of Rigidity can encourage careful planning and reduce the likelihood of errors, excessive Rigidity can be detrimental, particularly in environments that require flexibility and frequent updates. Rigidity coupled with a bad case of Invisible Links is a recipe for disaster where a user can make a mistake which is then very hard to recover from.

Conversely, while reducing Rigidity is generally desirable, it is very important to balance the need for ease of change with the potential for unintended consequences. For example, too much automation in response to changes can lead to a lack of control and oversight, potentially introducing errors if the system does not accurately anticipate the user's intent.

An example of rigidity is the nesting of groups in vector software, imagine you have a shape 5 or 6 layers deep in Illustrator or Figma, to get at that shape, a user may well double click 6 times to get at it, that's a lot of clicking. In Cavalry we offer a customisable shortcut (holding S) to direct select the shape under the mouse, if there are several, a context menu lists all shapes under the mouse and they can be selected from there.

The usage of Generative AI features in software can both reduce and increase Rigidity, lets consider a hypothetical AI Graphic Design app that is prompt based where you needed to follow some exacting brand guidelines to have a logo a given number of pixels from the edge of a graphic. The Rigidity of such software would be both simultaneously exceptionally low — “draw me a background image that plagiarises Saul Bass” — and exceptionally high — “add this logo to the image and place it x pixels in from the left and y pixels down with the size w,z.”. It would in fact be much easier add the logo ‘the old fashioned way’ especially if any future edits needed making, and we all know they would do.

Dynamic Updating​

Tools that require users to make manual adjustments across all affected elements (such as applying font changes across multiple artboards) create high viscosity. On the other hand, instances or symbols in Figma can mitigate viscosity by allowing for dynamic updates that cascade automatically.

Dependency Chains​

When users make one change that forces other changes to stay consistent (knock-on effects, i.e if you want to change one thing, you then need to manually adjust several others), this dependency chain reinforces rigidity. For example, in After Effects, repositioning keyframes within complex compositions might force users to re-time other animations to keep them in sync.

Example of Moving a Clip in a video editor​

Sub-optimal workflow​

Optimal workflow​

Testing​

  1. Create multiple nested groups (e.g., shapes grouped within groups in Figma or Illustrator). Then, attempt to select and modify an object in the deepest layer, assess this workflow.
  2. Examine how easy it is to apply global style changes across multiple elements with minimal effort.
  3. Assess how easily users can switch between detailed and broader adjustments without disrupting the workflow
    1. Can users switch adjusting values by large numbers and small numbers in the same interaction, can they do this via different interaction methods (e.g mouse and keyboard or pencil and touch).
  4. Check for Dependency Chains, test some workflows where you want to change things in several areas at once, does this involve a dependency chain and is there any way to improve that or is it already optimal?

Conclusion​

Excessive rigidity not only complicates modifications but can also discourage exploration, as users might avoid making changes to avoid the tedium of redoing work.

Check After Improvement​

  • Error Risk
  • Invisible Links