My boss believes that wizards make things simple for the user. I think they have their place but I can't really define what that place is. I feel there is a danger in turning something into steps that doesn't need them.
Does anyone know where I could find rules for such things, or even a guideline to follow that describes when and when not to use wizards and possibly even other UI elements.
I'd agree with you that Wizards have their place. And that place is back in Azeroth.
No, but seriously, if the user has to input a lot of different data fields, using a Wizard to split up the data entry into several related groups might help to make things less confusing.
If the Wizard covers a process that consists of steps A, B, and C, and the input at B or C depends on the input at the previous step(s), a Wizard would probably be a good way to structure your application.
There are probably a lot of other situations in which using a Wizard would be warranted (those are just two off the top of my head), but in each case, you'd want to evaluate it and make sure that a Wizard is the absolute best option. To borrow an old saying, everything doesn't become a nail just because your boss wants you to use Wizards as a hammer. If that makes sense.
As far as best practices guidelines goes -- the use of Wizards seems to fall under UX rather than UI, but here's a few items that I came across:
Here is what some common Human Interface Guidelines have to say about when to use them. Most are quite restrictive:
An assistant is a secondary window that guides the user through an operation by breaking it into sequential steps. Assistants are useful for making complex operations less intimidating, as they restrict the information visible to the user at any given moment. [...]
Assistants do have major downsides. After using an assistant it is often hard to figure out where the individual settings aggregated into the assistant are stored. Often people will resort to re-running the assistant, re-entering many settings that they don't want to change.
Assistants are often used in situations where a better solution would be to simplify, or even better automate, the process. Before using an assistant to step people through a complex operation, consider if the operation can be fundamentally simplified so an assistant is unnecessary.
Microsoft Windows Experience Interaction Guidelines:
Consider lightweight alternatives first, such as dialog boxes, task panes, or single pages. Wizards are a heavy UI, best used for multi-step, infrequently performed task. You don't have to use wizards—you can provide helpful information and assistance in any UI.
Apple Human Interface Guidelines
For products with complex setup procedures, a setup assistant can be helpful
(Assistants are not mentioned in any other context, as in the other HIG:s, so I assume that means that Apple think they have no place except for setup)
I would suggest to avoid wizards as much as possible. People have a short attention span and you risk that, at the middle of it, they start forgetting what the said, what they are doing there, etc.
That being said, i think that it may be viable when performing some shopping (e.g., checkout), first-time configurations, others?
Always try to:
When creating a wizard: