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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!mark
From: mark@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Design for novices if you want customers
Message-ID: <2153@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Aug-83 12:06:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.2153
Posted: Thu Aug 25 12:06:44 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Aug-83 21:29:11 EDT
References: <659@ihuxf.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 36


       The argument has	been made that novices remain novices for a
       short  period  of  time,	hence it is not	worth the effort to
       design interfaces for  them.   I	 assert	 that  this  novice
       period plays a critical role in the product's acceptance.

 I think the general concern here is right, but that it is at too
low a level.  Novices play a critical role not in PRODUCT acceptance
but in product CONCEPT acceptance.

The first computer text editor had to be easy to get started on because
people had to be convinced that they should even want to edit
text on a computer.  Now days the concept of computerized text editing
is sufficiently established that difficult-to-get-started on editors
like vi and emacs are the norm.  (They don't take weeks to learn,
but it isn't minutes either).

(The first car had to be easy to drive.  Now it takes quite a bit
of training to be a successful car driver, in spite of 80 years of
honing of the user interface).

(It is interesting that one of the very major contributions that the
Wright brothers made to aviation is the concept that flying an
airplane was a skill that had to be learned.  They practiced steering
for many many hours on gliders before trying powered flight.)

So, yes, novices are important when you introduce the very first
of a new kind of tool.  For an established tool niche, novices
don't matter--casual users do.

-- 
spoken:	mark weiser
UUCP:	{seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!mark
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