Small Thing Big Idea
Daniel Engber: How the progress bar keeps you sane
丹尼尔·恩伯尔: 进度条如何让人们保持清醒
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进度条让等待变得激动人心……并且减轻了我们对死亡的恐惧。记者丹尼尔.恩伯尔探讨了进度条是如何诞生的。
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
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有多少人对他们的
电脑桌面感到厌烦，
电脑桌面感到厌烦，
每天烦多少个小时，
00:14
for how many hours every day
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每个礼拜烦多少天，
每年烦多少个礼拜，
每年烦多少个礼拜，
00:16
and how many days a week
and how many weeks a year
and how many weeks a year
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一辈子烦多少年？
00:18
for how many years in their life?
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[小东西，大创意]
00:20
[Small thing. Big idea.]
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00:22
[Daniel Engber on
the Progress Bar]
the Progress Bar]
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[进度条的故事 ——丹尼尔.恩伯尔]
00:25
The progress bar is just
an indicator on a computer
an indicator on a computer
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进度条是电脑中的指示工具，
00:27
that something's happening
inside the device.
inside the device.
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用于显示设备中正在进行的任务。
00:31
The classic one that's been used
for years is a horizontal bar.
for years is a horizontal bar.
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其中最经典的，用了很多年的，
就是水平进度条。
就是水平进度条。
00:36
I mean, this goes back
to pre-computer versions of this
to pre-computer versions of this
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甚至在电脑诞生前就开始用了，
00:40
on ledgers, where people would fill in
a horizontal bar from left to right
a horizontal bar from left to right
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在账簿中，人们将水平条填色，
来显示工厂里已经完成的任务。
00:44
to show how much of a task
they had completed at a factory.
they had completed at a factory.
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00:47
This is just the same thing on a screen.
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这跟屏幕上的进度条是一回事。
00:50
Something happened in the 70s
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在70年代发生了一些事，
00:52
that is sometimes referred
to as "the software crisis,"
to as "the software crisis,"
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后来我们称之为“软件危机”，
00:54
where suddenly, computers
were getting more complicated
were getting more complicated
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突然之间，计算机变得越来越复杂，
00:57
more quickly than anyone
had been prepared for,
had been prepared for,
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发展得越来越快，
超出了所有人的预期，
超出了所有人的预期，
01:01
from a design perspective.
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尤其从设计的角度来看。
01:02
People were using percent-done
indicators in different ways.
indicators in different ways.
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人们用不同的形式
来显示已经完成的百分比。
来显示已经完成的百分比。
01:07
So you might have a graphical
countdown clock,
countdown clock,
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有图形化的倒计时钟，
01:09
or they would have a line of asterisks
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或者在屏幕上从左至右
01:12
that would fill out
from left to right on a screen.
from left to right on a screen.
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显示的一排星号符。
01:15
But no one had done
a systematic survey of these things
a systematic survey of these things
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但是没有人对此
进行过系统性的调查，
进行过系统性的调查，
01:18
and tried to figure out:
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来搞清楚：
01:19
How do they actually affect
the user's experience
the user's experience
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到底这些进度条对电脑用户体验
01:23
of sitting at the computer?
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有什么实际影响？
01:24
This graduate student named Brad Myers,
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1985年，这位名叫
布拉德·梅耶斯的本科毕业生，
布拉德·梅耶斯的本科毕业生，
01:26
in 1985, decided he would study this.
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决定研究一下这件事。
01:29
He found that it didn't really matter
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他发现进度条
01:31
if the percent-done indicator
was giving you the accurate percent done.
was giving you the accurate percent done.
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能否准确显示完成百分比
并不十分重要。
并不十分重要。
01:36
What mattered was
that it was there at all.
that it was there at all.
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重要的是，要有一个
进度条摆在那里。
进度条摆在那里。
01:39
Just seeing it there
made people feel better,
made people feel better,
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能看到它就会让人们感觉好点，
01:42
and that was the most surprising thing.
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这结论真让人意外。
01:44
He has all these ideas
about what this thing could do.
about what this thing could do.
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关于进度条到底能做什么，
他得出了一些结论。
他得出了一些结论。
01:47
Maybe it could make people
relax effectively.
relax effectively.
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比如能够有效地让人放松。
01:51
Maybe it would allow people
to turn away from their machine
to turn away from their machine
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可能它能让人们在等待的同时
01:56
and do something else
of exactly the right duration.
of exactly the right duration.
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离开电脑去干点别的。
01:59
They would look and say,
"Oh, the progress bar is half done.
"Oh, the progress bar is half done.
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他们会看一眼说，
“哦，才过了一半，
“哦，才过了一半，
用了5分钟。
02:02
That took five minutes.
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所以我还有5分钟可以
去发个传真。”
去发个传真。”
02:03
So now I have five minutes
to send this fax,"
to send this fax,"
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或者干些在1985年的
办公室会干的事。
办公室会干的事。
02:07
or whatever people were doing in 1985.
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02:10
Both of those things are wrong.
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但事实并非如此。
02:11
Like, when you see that progress bar,
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其实，当你看着进度条的时候，
02:13
it sort of locks your attention
in a tractor beam,
in a tractor beam,
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滚动的光束会吸引你的注意力。
02:16
and it turns the experience of waiting
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它改变了等待的体验，
02:18
into this exciting narrative
that you're seeing unfold in front of you:
that you're seeing unfold in front of you:
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把它变成了一件
让你兴奋的新鲜事：
让你兴奋的新鲜事：
02:24
that somehow, this time you've spent
waiting in frustration
waiting in frustration
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原本你在沮丧的等待
02:27
for the computer to do something,
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电脑完成某件事，
02:29
has been reconceptualized as:
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却被重新解读为：
02:31
"Progress! Oh! Great stuff is happening!"
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“进行中！啊！
美妙的事正在进行中呢！”
美妙的事正在进行中呢！”
02:33
[Progress...]
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[进程中……]
02:36
But once you start thinking
about the progress bar
about the progress bar
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但是当你意识到进度条
02:39
as something that's more
about dulling the pain of waiting,
about dulling the pain of waiting,
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不仅仅可以降低
等待时的焦虑的时候，
等待时的焦虑的时候，
02:42
well, then you can start fiddling
around with the psychology.
around with the psychology.
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你就可以来运用
一些心理学的技巧了。
一些心理学的技巧了。
02:46
So if you have a progress bar
that just moves at a constant rate --
that just moves at a constant rate --
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比如你看到一条匀速运行的进度条，
02:50
let's say, that's really
what's happening in the computer --
what's happening in the computer --
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我们假设它真实反映了
任务的进行情况，
任务的进行情况，
02:53
that will feel to people
like it's slowing down.
like it's slowing down.
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但是人们会觉得它在变慢。
02:57
We get bored.
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我们会等得有些不耐烦。
03:00
Well, now you can start
trying to enhance it
trying to enhance it
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好吧，那你就尝试改善一下，
03:02
and make it appear to move
more quickly than it really is,
more quickly than it really is,
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让它走得比实际运行得更快一些，
03:04
make it move faster at the beginning,
like a burst of speed.
like a burst of speed.
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让它在开始的时候快一些，
像在加速一样。
像在加速一样。
03:08
That's exciting, people feel like,
"Oh! Something's really happening!"
"Oh! Something's really happening!"
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人们会感到激动，
“哦！进展的很快嘛！”
“哦！进展的很快嘛！”
然后再让进度条恢复到真实的速度，
03:12
Then you can move back into a more
naturalistic growth of the progress bar
naturalistic growth of the progress bar
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让它继续。
03:16
as you go along.
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03:17
You're assuming that people are focusing
on the passage of time --
on the passage of time --
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假定人们会注意到时间的流逝，
他们会尝试观察草的生长，
03:20
they're trying to watch grass grow,
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尝试观察一壶水，等待它烧开，
03:22
they're trying to watch a pot of water,
waiting for it to boil,
waiting for it to boil,
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你所做的就是让过程不那么无聊，
03:25
and you're just trying
to make that less boring,
to make that less boring,
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03:27
less painful and less frustrating
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跟以前相比，
03:30
than it was before.
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不那么痛苦和沮丧。
03:31
So the progress bar at least gives you
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所以说进度条至少给我们
03:34
the vision of a beginning and an end,
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一个开始和结束的直观体现，
03:36
and you're working towards a goal.
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让你感到自己一直在
朝一个目标努力。
朝一个目标努力。
03:38
I think in some ways,
it mitigates the fear of death.
it mitigates the fear of death.
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我觉得从某个角度讲，
它减轻了对死亡的恐惧。
它减轻了对死亡的恐惧。
说的太夸张了？
03:44
Too much?
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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