Small Thing Big Idea
Daniel Engber: How the progress bar keeps you sane
丹尼爾恩伯: 進度條如何讓你保持理智
Filmed:
Readability: 3.7
605,473 views
進度條讓等候變得更讓人興奮…且它能減輕我們對死亡的恐懼。記者丹尼爾恩伯探究了它如何被發明出來。
Daniel Engber - Journalist
Daniel Engber explores science and culture as an award-winning journalist for Radiolab, the New York Times, Slate and Wired, among others. Full bio
Daniel Engber explores science and culture as an award-winning journalist for Radiolab, the New York Times, Slate and Wired, among others. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
How many people are bored at their desk
0
103
2374
有多少人在桌前感到無聊，
00:14
for how many hours every day
1
2501
1518
一天有幾個小時、
00:16
and how many days a week
and how many weeks a year
and how many weeks a year
2
4043
2350
一週有幾天、一年有幾週、
00:18
for how many years in their life?
3
6417
1578
一生有幾年是感到無聊的？
00:20
[Small thing. Big idea.]
4
8020
2584
〔小東西。大點子。〕
00:22
[Daniel Engber on
the Progress Bar]
the Progress Bar]
5
10629
2000
〔丹尼爾恩伯談進度條〕
00:25
The progress bar is just
an indicator on a computer
an indicator on a computer
6
13165
2692
進度條只是電腦上的一個指標，
00:27
that something's happening
inside the device.
inside the device.
7
15881
3026
表示在該裝置中有事情在發生。
00:31
The classic one that's been used
for years is a horizontal bar.
for years is a horizontal bar.
8
19579
4532
多年來最經典的進度條
就是水平的橫條。
就是水平的橫條。
00:36
I mean, this goes back
to pre-computer versions of this
to pre-computer versions of this
9
24135
3841
這要追溯回在電腦出現之前的版本，
00:40
on ledgers, where people would fill in
a horizontal bar from left to right
a horizontal bar from left to right
10
28000
4314
在帳簿上，人們會由左至右
將水平橫條給塗滿，
將水平橫條給塗滿，
00:44
to show how much of a task
they had completed at a factory.
they had completed at a factory.
11
32338
3616
來顯示在工廠中的一項
工作任務已經完成了多少。
工作任務已經完成了多少。
00:47
This is just the same thing on a screen.
12
35978
2176
這和螢幕上的進度條是一樣的。
00:50
Something happened in the 70s
13
38497
1488
七○年代時，
00:52
that is sometimes referred
to as "the software crisis,"
to as "the software crisis,"
14
40009
2764
所謂的「軟體危機」發生了，
00:54
where suddenly, computers
were getting more complicated
were getting more complicated
15
42797
2908
突然間，電腦變得更複雜，
00:57
more quickly than anyone
had been prepared for,
had been prepared for,
16
45729
3278
也更快速，從設計的觀點來說，
01:01
from a design perspective.
17
49031
1786
大家都沒準備好。
01:02
People were using percent-done
indicators in different ways.
indicators in different ways.
18
50841
4309
人們會用不同的方式
來使用完成百分比指標。
來使用完成百分比指標。
01:07
So you might have a graphical
countdown clock,
countdown clock,
19
55174
2645
可能會有圖像式的倒數時鐘，
01:09
or they would have a line of asterisks
20
57843
2795
或是有一排星號
01:12
that would fill out
from left to right on a screen.
from left to right on a screen.
21
60662
2395
從左向右漸漸填滿螢幕。
01:15
But no one had done
a systematic survey of these things
a systematic survey of these things
22
63081
3593
但沒有人對這些東西
做過系統性的調查
做過系統性的調查
01:18
and tried to figure out:
23
66698
1183
來試著了解：
01:19
How do they actually affect
the user's experience
the user's experience
24
67905
3111
它們究意對電腦前的使用者
有什麼體驗上的影響？
01:23
of sitting at the computer?
25
71040
1327
01:24
This graduate student named Brad Myers,
26
72391
1950
這位研究生布萊德米爾斯
01:26
in 1985, decided he would study this.
27
74365
3234
在 1985 年決定研究這個主題。
01:29
He found that it didn't really matter
28
77623
2053
他發現，完成度百分比指標
01:31
if the percent-done indicator
was giving you the accurate percent done.
was giving you the accurate percent done.
29
79700
5106
是否有給予你正確的完成度百分比
其實不重要。
其實不重要。
01:36
What mattered was
that it was there at all.
that it was there at all.
30
84830
2730
重要的是，是否有這個指標。
01:39
Just seeing it there
made people feel better,
made people feel better,
31
87584
2604
看到它在那裡，
就能讓人感覺比較好，
就能讓人感覺比較好，
01:42
and that was the most surprising thing.
32
90212
2689
那是最讓人驚訝的發現。
01:44
He has all these ideas
about what this thing could do.
about what this thing could do.
33
92925
2919
他對這種指標用途有很多想法。
01:47
Maybe it could make people
relax effectively.
relax effectively.
34
95868
4086
也許，它能很有效地讓人放鬆。
01:51
Maybe it would allow people
to turn away from their machine
to turn away from their machine
35
99978
4670
也許，它能讓人離開他們的機器，
01:56
and do something else
of exactly the right duration.
of exactly the right duration.
36
104672
3063
在這段等候時間內去做些其他的事。
01:59
They would look and say,
"Oh, the progress bar is half done.
"Oh, the progress bar is half done.
37
107759
2881
他們會看一眼並說：
「喔，進度條完成了一半。
「喔，進度條完成了一半。
02:02
That took five minutes.
38
110664
1151
還要花五分鐘。
02:03
So now I have five minutes
to send this fax,"
to send this fax,"
39
111839
3897
所以現在我還有
五分鐘可以去傳真。」
五分鐘可以去傳真。」
02:07
or whatever people were doing in 1985.
40
115760
2364
或是去做其他
1985 年的人會做的事。
1985 年的人會做的事。
02:10
Both of those things are wrong.
41
118148
1804
以上兩點都不對。
02:11
Like, when you see that progress bar,
42
119976
1866
當你看見進度條時，
02:13
it sort of locks your attention
in a tractor beam,
in a tractor beam,
43
121866
2967
它會像牽引波束一樣
鎖住你的注意力，
鎖住你的注意力，
02:16
and it turns the experience of waiting
44
124857
2016
它會把等候的體驗轉變成
02:18
into this exciting narrative
that you're seeing unfold in front of you:
that you're seeing unfold in front of you:
45
126897
5082
你看到你面前有個
讓人興奮的故事正在展開：
讓人興奮的故事正在展開：
02:24
that somehow, this time you've spent
waiting in frustration
waiting in frustration
46
132003
3849
不知怎麼的，那些你很挫折地
花費在等候電腦做事的時間，
02:27
for the computer to do something,
47
135876
1635
02:29
has been reconceptualized as:
48
137535
1975
被重新概念化，成為：
02:31
"Progress! Oh! Great stuff is happening!"
49
139535
2294
「有進度！喔！有大事在發生！」
02:33
[Progress...]
50
141853
2138
〔進度…〕
02:36
But once you start thinking
about the progress bar
about the progress bar
51
144015
3215
但，一旦你把進度條想成是
02:39
as something that's more
about dulling the pain of waiting,
about dulling the pain of waiting,
52
147254
3345
用來減輕等候痛苦的東西，
02:42
well, then you can start fiddling
around with the psychology.
around with the psychology.
53
150623
3883
那麼你就可以開始玩些
心理學上的小把戲了。
心理學上的小把戲了。
02:46
So if you have a progress bar
that just moves at a constant rate --
that just moves at a constant rate --
54
154530
4048
如果你的進度條是等速的－
02:50
let's say, that's really
what's happening in the computer --
what's happening in the computer --
55
158602
2976
假設那真的是在電腦中發生的狀況－
02:53
that will feel to people
like it's slowing down.
like it's slowing down.
56
161602
3257
人的感受會是：它在變慢。
02:57
We get bored.
57
165668
1286
我們會感到無聊。
03:00
Well, now you can start
trying to enhance it
trying to enhance it
58
168002
2107
現在，你可以開始加快它，
03:02
and make it appear to move
more quickly than it really is,
more quickly than it really is,
59
170133
2762
讓它顯得比實際上移動得更快，
03:04
make it move faster at the beginning,
like a burst of speed.
like a burst of speed.
60
172919
3707
讓它在一開始移動得
比較快，像爆衝的速度。
比較快，像爆衝的速度。
03:08
That's exciting, people feel like,
"Oh! Something's really happening!"
"Oh! Something's really happening!"
61
176650
3344
那讓人興奮，會覺得：
「喔！真的有什麼事在發生了！」
「喔！真的有什麼事在發生了！」
03:12
Then you can move back into a more
naturalistic growth of the progress bar
naturalistic growth of the progress bar
62
180018
4029
接著在過程中再換回
速度自然增加的進度條，
03:16
as you go along.
63
184071
1311
03:17
You're assuming that people are focusing
on the passage of time --
on the passage of time --
64
185406
3194
你假設人會把焦點放在
時間一分一秒過去－
時間一分一秒過去－
03:20
they're trying to watch grass grow,
65
188624
1703
他們試圖看著草在生長，
03:22
they're trying to watch a pot of water,
waiting for it to boil,
waiting for it to boil,
66
190351
2980
他們試圖看著一鍋水，等著水滾，
03:25
and you're just trying
to make that less boring,
to make that less boring,
67
193355
2392
而你只是試著讓那過程
在和以前相比時
在和以前相比時
03:27
less painful and less frustrating
68
195771
2226
能比較不無聊、比較不痛苦、
03:30
than it was before.
69
198021
1326
比較不讓人挫折。
03:31
So the progress bar at least gives you
70
199371
3001
所以，進度條至少能給予你
03:34
the vision of a beginning and an end,
71
202396
2461
開始與結束的視覺化呈現，
03:36
and you're working towards a goal.
72
204881
1694
表示你在朝一個目標前進。
03:38
I think in some ways,
it mitigates the fear of death.
it mitigates the fear of death.
73
206599
2953
我想，在某些意義上，
它減輕了對死亡的恐懼。
它減輕了對死亡的恐懼。
03:44
Too much?
74
212079
2111
這樣說太過頭了？
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Daniel Engber - JournalistDaniel Engber explores science and culture as an award-winning journalist for Radiolab, the New York Times, Slate and Wired, among others.
Why you should listen
Daniel Engber's scientific method of distracting free-throw shooters in the NBA appeared in the New York Times Magazine's "Year in Ideas" and his viral website, Crying While Eating, earned spots on "The Tonight Show," VH1 and National Public Radio. He studied literature at Harvard College and neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco and has won several awards for his writing, including the National Academies of Science Communication Award in 2012.
Daniel Engber | Speaker | TED.com