Re: UI design [was Owen Taylor's paper]

On Friday 20 September 2002 05:55, Jef Spaleta wrote:
> instinctively....thats the problem...
_THAT_ is how people operate.

> should you be operating a computer
> on instinct.  Okay I can see a jet fighter pilot needing to operate
> things on instinct...everyone else can take a second and read the
> text...or parse the icon graphic and think about what they are doing
> when they are using the computer.  How do people ever use something like
> cruise control or wind shield wipers in a car without running off the

Many times I've had problems with the wiper control when switching between a 
Volkswagen and a (Toyota|Holden|Ford|Mitsubishi).


>
> road...its not like that placement is standardized.  No instead the
> cruise control and windshield wiper knobs have visual hinting...symbols

It surely isn't easy to switch to a different car. I remember in about '91 I 
took delivery of a VN Commodore with a 5.0 Litre V8 engine.

Remember I've been driving since I was a small child, and licenced since '65. 
I've driven vehicles from small cars (Honda N600) to tractors (not sure what 
Americans call them, but I think you use the word for something else) and 
small (4t) vans.

I stalled the thing twice before I got more than 100 metres from the dealer's 
yard, and it was a couple of days before I could coordinate the clutch and 
accelerator.

A familiar layout is important.


-- 


Cheers
John.

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