| Date: | September 10, 2003 / year-entry #55 |
| Tags: | other |
| Orig Link: | https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20030910-00/?p=42573 |
| Comments: | 11 |
| Summary: | UK survey reveals that one in seven computer users needs help turning the computer on and off. |
UK survey reveals that one in seven computer users needs help turning the computer on and off. |
Comments (11)
Comments are closed. |
Glad to see someone linking to this. It’s a real indictment of how we as an industry are doing, If you’re interested, I have a couple more links at http://hestia.typepad.com/flatlander/2003/09/software_design.html.
On the other hand, there are some very unreasonable expectations of how ‘easy’ a computer should be.
For example, I understand how to use a hammer, a saw and a screwdriver very easily. But ask me to build garden shed, and I’m lost.
A motor car is a very easy machine to drive once you have learned. Many of us take it for granted. But think back to the hassle we had learning the skill in the first place, and passing that test.
Microsoft have actually done a very good thing laying out many standard interface primitives and idioms to follow. Generally once you learn how to use one Windows application you can use most other general purpose apps, or navigate them well enough to teach yourself the rest.
But you cannot expect to just drop a general purpose computer in front of someone with zero background and watch them get up and running on their own. Gifted individuals might, but it is totally unreasonable to expect this of the majority.
Unfortunately, this is exactly the attitude the critics have. I’m sorry but no matter how clearly and intuitively I lay out my user interface if the user does not know how to guide the pointer around the screen with a mouse there is not a lot I can do to solve the problem. Users need to take some responsibility for learning the basics.
If they lose documents because they turn PCs off without saving or printing, despite many on-screen warnings, the error is NOT in the application.
We let people write off computers as ‘hard’ too easily, when they aren’t prepared to take on even the basics.
On the other hand, there are some attrocious UIs out there and I in no way want to make excuses for them! I simply refuse to believe that if 25% of users don’t know how to save a Word document today, that the problem is in the software.
<rant off/>
I can’t believe you give credit to Microsoft on having a consistent UI. They have done a good job, but it is just a continuation of the good work done by Apple (and Xerox).
Apple, years ago, provided a audio tape teaching people how to use the Mac. Within half an hour, people with zero computer experiance were using it.
Dell has done a good job with the out of the box experiance with color coded plugs and a poster size installation instructions with pretty much nothing but pictures
I’m sorry I don’t see why its at all unreasonable for a computer to be as easy to interact with as a human. More on my blog at http://www.kingtiny.net
Sure I give credit to MS for popularising a consistent UI. You can look far and wide for all the influences you like, it is MS that got a single, consistent UI to the masses and kept it there.
I am happy to give MS a lot of stick for a lot of things, but this is one thing I am happy to stand by them on.
The fact that they don’t keep to their own guidelines is another matter! [Encarta was always my worst bugbear for this, but Office is no saint either]
Alistair,
Ok, when you put it that way, I agree. The only problem is that there isn’t to my knowlege any document saying what you can or cannot do. It’s only by trying to make your app be as much like an Office app as possible. For example, look at AutoCAD. It tries to be an Office app, but falls down where the functionality needed for CAD doesn’t match what Office does. They’ve done a great job, but there are still holes.
pdq,
Seems like you don’t know about "Windows User Experience – Official Guidelines for User Interface Developers and Designers" (see http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/?url=/library/en-us/dnwue/html/welcome.asp?frame=true), and maybe also "Windows Logo Program for Software" (see http://www.microsoft.com/winlogo/software/downloads.mspx).
Those documents/books says how an application should be designed and behave on the Windows platform. The big problem is that a lot of applications/designers doesn’t follow those guidelines/specifications :( (see for example Microsoft Office ;))
http://www.nooface.org/
Just what could be UI if it is not only GUI.
I generally agree with AlisdairM. Computers ARE too hard to use but they will never be as easy to use as a toaster. Users need to take SOME responsibility in learning how to use them. I posted a longer opinion <A href="http://www.socialdynamx.net/2003/09/12#a139">here</A>.
Oops. Sorry. Didn’t read the documentation about HTML not being allowed ;-).
You can click my name below
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