Re: Target browsers for web development

On Tuesday, April 8, 2003, at 03:48  PM, David Heller wrote:

> You should NEVER educate a user.

I couldn't disagree more. (I hope you're joking)

Now, perhaps I'm in a very unique situation, observing a very unique
set of users apart from the rest of the world. I doubt it, but it is
possible. However, in my experience, and in the experience of many of
my colleagues and collaborators, we've found that the overwhelming
majority of users appreciate a little education. They don't appreciate
having things forced down their throat, but do appreciate a little
educational guidance.

While we strive to, and often do, create highly usable systems that
require little if any learning on the part of the user, there's almost
always some amount of learnability that is factored into the system.
Simply put - sometimes you need to help the user along. And that means
sometimes we need to educate users.

Just a quick question: if we should NEVER educate the user, then how do
they find out about the benefits of particular system? How do they
upgrade? Why should they upgrade?

Sometimes users need a little hand holding.

You can't assume that users will know everything. But you should build
a system that:
- mimics and builds off of common, pre-existing knowledge
- doesn't really need a user manual to get started
- has documentation for those "power user" features, but doesn't
necessarily need it
- is pretty much a no brainer
- has a high degree of learnability (users can quickly learn "power
user" features)
- provides commonly desired functions up front, while making "power
user" features available (typically a level down)
- maintains a consistent interface across the system

> Technology is supposed to work. That's it. Its just supposed to work.
> Don't tell me why it won't work for me, or what I need to do to make
> it work better, and don't tell me about standards and rules and code
> and yucky stuff like that. I'm going to have a hard enough
> time using your product and learning that.
> Seriously, keep technology where it belongs, out of the user's way.
>
> I don't need to make users more computer savvy, I need to make systems
> that require less savvy users.

- I agree technology should "just work" (that's why I love my Macs -
ducking for cover).
- I agree technology should get out of the users way and empower them,
not hinder them.
- I simply don't agree that we should NEVER educate a user.

Cheers!

Todd R. Warfel

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User Experience Architect
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In theory, theory and practice are the same,
but in practice, they're not.

The only thing necessary for evil to exist in the world is for good men
to do nothing.

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