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Surely users getting dumber are a good thing? The more they come to rely on software we create to do their jobs, the more money and work for us programmers
Michael
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Michael
They might be pretty much dumb as users, but they don't seem to be dumb when it comes to paying us.
Nish
Sonork ID 100.9786 voidmain
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Exactly how it should be!
We as developers should be striving for a world were using an app is second nature, easy as opening a door or as common as driving a car. We shouldn't complain when Jane Doe can't open a file because she does not know how to navigate a folder structure. We should rather figure out an easier and more intuitive way of getting to that file. (along that vein we should find an easier model than files and folders as it confuses the hell out of most users on first try).
I wonder if the first door knob maker had the same problems as us?
regards,
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South Africa
"The greatest thing you will ever learn is to love, and be loved in return" - Moulin Rouge
"In other words, the developer is dealing with an elephant, the accountant is dealing with a bunny rabbit." by Stan Shannon - 16/10/2001
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well said that man. We need to strive for software so simple that I don't get phone calls from my friends/relatives asking how to install the latest whatever.
Michael
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Exactly correct, Paul. Regardless of how intelligent your user group is, the UI should be designed to be as simple and intuitive as possible. The UI designer should always remember that no matter how great the cognitive resources of the user may be, the amount of time and effort necessary to figure out the UI, is time and effort not put into solving whatever the original problem was the user wanted the app to help them solve in the first place.
"But, daddy, that was back in the hippie ages..." My twelve year old son - winning the argument.
"Stan, you are an intelligent guy who responds in meaningful ways" Paul Watson 16/10/01
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Hear, hear!
If only software engineering underwent the same QA as hardware engineering.
/ravi
"There is always one more bug..."
http://www.ravib.com
ravib@ravib.com
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seems like I got here first. Cause there is only one vote and that's mine.
But then the client for our current project has been making requests every week. Fresh requests.
In fact they played a role in the color scheme [it's partly a web appalication] Our design team was horrified with some of their requests, but we had to oblige the clients. One particularly horrifying request which we had to carry out was to change all 'save' buttons to a reddish color.
Then they insisted on verdana font for all the button text [which was actually okay], but it amazed us that a client insisted on something as trivial [maybe not trivial to them] as the button text font.
How about the rest of you guys?
Any similar clients?
Regards
Nish
Sonork ID 100.9786 voidmain
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I'm always getting asked for buttons to be different colours. Probably because users think remembering a colour is easier than remembering button text.
Michael
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...it amazed us that a client insisted on something as trivial [maybe not trivial to them] as the button text font.
In my experience clients almost always insist on the trivial things.
I think it's usually because they are the ones their management can visualise - the really important stuff (e.g. behaviour and use cases) is "too technical" for them so they focus on the trivial.
It's a control thing I guess.
Andy Metcalfe - Sonardyne International Ltd
Trouble with resource IDs? Try the Resource ID Organiser Add-In for Visual C++ 5.0/6.0
"I'm just another 'S' bend in the internet. A ton of stuff goes through my system, and some of the hairer, stickier and lumpier stuff sticks."
- Chris Maunder (I just couldn't let that one past )
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One of the things I've noticed with our clients is that they feel they have to make changes otherwise their boss thinks they are useless. Thats why they change trivial things. They are too afraid to change something big, but afraid if they don't change anything they'll be deemed useless.
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These people aren't users. They're wannabe designers.
Surely you've tried to redirect them, using quotes and knowledge from the wide variety of UI design/human interaction books you have in your library, correct?
The real problem in the industry is that wannabe designers are getting dumber and dumber.
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