Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!agate!shelby!portia!Jessica!duggie
From: duggie@Jessica.stanford.edu (Doug Felt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Mute should reset?
Message-ID: <3756@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 19 Jul 89 00:39:20 GMT
References: <1989Jul14.151221.13930@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca> <3703@portia.Stanford.EDU> <296@wet.UUCP>
Sender: USENET News System <news@Portia.stanford.edu>
Reply-To: duggie@Jessica.UUCP (Doug Felt)
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 17

Before we trademark that phrase...

If it is easy to get confused about what Mute does, then perhaps Mute
is not doing The Right Thing.  User testing will be the answer to
this-- if lots of users hit the volume key repeatedly wondering
whether they hit it, or whether it was working, or whether the speaker
is broken, then there is a problem with the design.  Not with the
users.  I personally wonder whether in a room with lots of colocated
NeXT boxes you want the Mute key to turn ON the speakers.  Perhaps The
Right Thing is to cut the speakers whenever headphones are plugged in,
have the mute key cut the volume (whether to speakers or headphones),
and have the volume key cancel muting in addition to its usual
function.

Just a thought.

Doug Felt