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Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!utcsstat!laura
From: laura@utcsstat.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Intro. to net.cog-eng
Message-ID: <882@utcsstat.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 15-Aug-83 17:56:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsstat.882
Posted: Mon Aug 15 17:56:21 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Aug-83 22:58:27 EDT
References: <1962@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Toronto, Canada
Lines: 20

i want to get this note in on the ground floor. One of the
problems I have with certain "human factors engineers" is
that they think that they can use existing science to
provide an adequate model of a user. I do not think that
the science is that good yet. As a result, while
the "human factors" folk often talk about "user
specifiable software", i often find that this very idea
is lacking in their own thinking processes. Some person
discovers that (for example) Menu systems are good for
naive users doing accounting. They go on to generalise
that Menu systems are good for everybody doing everything.
When I point out that the menu systems I have used have
all driven me up the wall, I get told that I am being
hostile to the user population and that i want to
impose restricitons on them -- in effect turn them into
hackers. This was not my intention -- i wanted to
get rid of the restricitons imposed on ME.

laura creighton
utzoo!utcsstat!laura