What is the opposite of a wizard-style user interface called?

Question

I am writing a document in which I am proposing that our web application have both wizard-style user interfaces, and normal user interfaces.

To my mind, a normal interface in one in which you can browse a list of domain objects, and then view or operate on them as you please. This style of interface is good for creative, non-directed, interaction with the data a program manages.

A wizard interface, on the other hand, is a task oriented interface in which you first choose what you want to accomplish, and are then guided through it.

What I need to know, is what is the accepted term to describe a normal, non-wizard, user interface?

Edit: I went with "overview style user interface", but I also liked the answer "Non-linear user flow" to describe the type of interaction.

Answer 1

I guess the complete opposite is one long form, with all fields and options that your application supports. Mind you, you could still show that intelligently, by using the right header and collapse/expand behavior.

Answer 2

• "Expert"
• "Advanced"
• "Detailed"

Answer 3

"Witch.".

Seriously speaking, the answer to your Q depends on the target audience.

If it is internal (designers/developer), "non-wizard" seems to be a commonly accepted term.

If it's end users, either use "non-wizard" or "advanced/expert"

Answer 4

Web Applications tend to be "form based". Thus IMHO the application either has "Standard Forms" based interface, or a "Wizard Forms" based interface.

Answer 5

A normal interface = "Standard Interface"

Opposite of wizard = "Non-Linear User Flow"

Answer 6

Perhaps the most widely known terms are function-oriented UI and object-oriented UI, where a wizard is a type of a function-oriented, and “normal” GUIs are object-oriented. Personally, I think these terms have been poorly defined, being simultaneously too broad and too narrow. They are also easy to confuse with implementation language.

I have suggested:

Task-centered user interface structure, where each window represents a task, or, if the task is complex, a step in the task. The layout in the window and navigation links between windows represents the task structure –what steps follow what and how tasks can branch and loop. Along with wizards, Microsoft’s Inductive User Interface and many form-type web application user interfaces use task-centered user interface structures.

Object-centered user interface structure, where each window represents one or more object classes, and the layout in the window and navigation links between windows represents the data model –how one class relates to another. For the most part, this is the type of structure used in general-purpose office software, where there’s only one class represented, typically some kind of document. If your application is a collection of record lists, master-detail forms, and/or “properties” windows that the user can “drill down” through, you’re probably making an object-centered structure.

You provide a good summary of the main advantage of object-centered structures. I’ve more on the pros and cons of each, plus methods and issues on combining them in the same app at http://www.zuschlogin.com/?p=3.

Answer 7

What about single-page vs. multi-page?