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I use a fair amount of social engineering in my user interfaces. Pretty much it's a way to have the users behave in an expected way when presented with previously experienced situations. Actually, after some experience, we all do.
It has just occurred to me that we, too, have been socially engineered as well by the users. They have taught us what we must do to get their (even if subconscious) cooperation. Rephrased, it is a feed-back loop where we are (to avoid problems) responding to their (historical) cues to create our cues for them.
Not necessarily profound - and perhaps even humbling.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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W∴ Balboos, GHB wrote: we, too, have been socially engineered as well by the users
Standardization of UI layouts in a product or suite is essential. I'm in the process now of changing the layout in an older (grid heavy) desktop app due to the increase in screen sizes over the last 20 years...controls the users interact with the most have been moved to the top.
The overall goal is to keep the support line quiet. If an end user doesn't understand how to use a screen then I haven't done my job correctly. 
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
"Hope is contagious"
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I'm in basic agreement - I just think about that term "programming defensively" and realize it is I who have been trained as much as the users.
I've got things running that have had features added, but all in all, successfully for more than a decade. Still, every now and then a "new hire" comes along with a new trick to screw things up. I used to think it was some form of cleverness but now I realize it's random, like virus mutation. Every now and then one of them can slip through the defenses (the others drawing no attention).
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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It's called iterative development.
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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I think it falls in more close with terms like "symbiotic", or perhaps "parasitic" !
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Actually, I learn their jobs and adopt their mental model. No parasites. I see where this was a revelation.
It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it.
― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food
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ComCtls in Win3 were great; everyone application had the same buttons and the same textboxes. A UI was predictable, and users would recognize them and could operate those often without any special training. It was uniform, had accesability options for the visually impaired, it was tested to the point of insanity. It. just. worked.
And then MS went WPF and UI's became unpredictable, with the need to hover in a magic spot to even see your buttons.
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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I skipped Win3 and went from DOS 6.1 (eventually) to WinNT.
You can blame a lot on the platform sources, like MS - but the real blame always falls on developers who think they can be stylish and cute. Beside, they know how it works (more or less) as they made it. Surely the user can see it, too!
I've generally worked on avoiding things I hate in other people's software. Eventually that builds a consensus of what to avoid. One item, fitting into your comments, is that even when I add new features they're fully backward compatible in terms of how they work. They may do more but they don't change how they do it (at least to the user). If a change is really needed, a safe process is to add a new item and slowly replace the old one as the new one becomes established. Presuming the new one is better (or why bother?), acceptance is automatic at that point.
Probably all stuff you consciously or unconsciously practice.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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W∴ Balboos, GHB wrote: I skipped Win3 and went from DOS 6.1 (eventually) to WinNT.
Also used the ComCtrls.
W∴ Balboos, GHB wrote: I've generally worked on avoiding things I hate in other people's software
Yeah, hard to avoid VB6 here. Learned a lot from those brownfields.
Bastard Programmer from Hell
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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WPF alone is not the root of all evil, see the grid size changing woes above.
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Back when I was a teenager "social engineering" meant getting too-credulous users to give up their passwords. 
Times, they change.
Real programmers use butterflies
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The epidemic of credulism (I now own that word!) has infected a huge fraction of society not only in the US but world-wide.
Just consider the uptick in conspiracy theories that wouldn't be believed by a moron (at one time) that are now adopted en masse. Believing (almost "believing in") serial liars. The success of so many scams on-line even when exposed publicly, and of course, that Bob only has six fingers and he wasn't just posing for CP.
I mean, really, those lizard people amongst us have already chipped most of us.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Microsoft and Apple spend fortunes developing consistent user interfaces ... then the web came along and anyone with a keyboard could create their own UI scheme and user chaos ensued, then the UI geeks with a passion for white space design came and forced us to do endless scrolling for simple tasks, then small device compatibility became an issue and we were given UIs that weren't optimal for either small or big screens.
This is like living through some man's mid-life crisis in which he dumps his "old" highly capable & compatible brunette wife for a shiny new young blonde who looks pretty but is awkward at many things.
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No one forced either to modify their main O/S interface (or for that matter, that of their subordinate products) with each new version. They did and they still do. Dare I say "ribbon"?
As for PC/Laptop/Tablet/Phone? I stop at laptop with my design. Apparently they work on phones - I wouldn't know as I have a flip-phone and only use it for an occasional voice call/voice message.
The real problem is the market - apparently bred for form-without-substance and, with all but non-existent attention spans, a new for an endless stream of new-looking ephemera on their devices. Much like the mentality that started with designer jeans and $100 sneakers.
Harrison Pratt wrote:
This is like living through some man's mid-life crisis in which he dumps his "old" highly capable & compatible brunette wife for a shiny new young blonde who looks pretty but is awkward at many things.
It all depends upon what the new model is good at. I would, however, opt for the new model to have long dark hair and just slightly dark complexion.
As the line goes from the musical "South Pacific" (song="There is Nothing Like a Dame": 'Don't worry about the thing's they're not - be grateful for the things they got'
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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IMO, humility and empathy are the two greatest character traits a UI designer can have. And I would extend that to the rest of the software product for that matter.
Being able to place one's self in the user's position and see things from their perspective is vital.
The worst UI's and products force the user to see the world from the dev's perspective. The onus has to be the other way around.
Cheers,
Mike Fidler
"I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright
"I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright
"I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright yet again.
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There's an expression for your attitude:
Consorting With the Enemy!
We'll be watching you . . .
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Heh, don't stop now.
"It's a small world but I wouldn't want to paint it" a Steven Wright line that I actually got to use!
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Dear W∴ Balboos, GHB,
Profound or Profane?
Where is the line between Social engineering and covert manipulation?
perhaps it is similar to the difference between a symbiotic and parasitic relationship. But from what perspective is the line drawn? Who decides when the relationship between the target and the perpetrator is equitable or abusive?
I do not like being manipulated... rather I would like to be informed and give my consent to be guided... see?
Informed consent and digital ethics?
thanks for reading and sharing
blessings
chuck
advocate for Earth and Human Sovereignty... and targeted individual aka covert test subject.
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You of course will recall the cartoon of one mouse in a scientist's maze informing another that if he runs it to the end he will train the scientist to give him more cheese. A kind of "feed-back".
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Still giggling uncontrollably ... 
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I'm glad you enjoyed it, but, have a care. None of us wish you to croak.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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At least you could tell that something was happening.
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I wonder what the young'uns see in the standard save icon.
I explained to a young man(to be read in Harry Enfield style) recently the reason for the name "radio button".
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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