Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-sdd!nick
From: nick@hp-sdd.HP.COM (Nick Flor)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: subliminal feedback
Keywords: feedback windowing interfaces
Message-ID: <1686@hp-sdd.HP.COM>
Date: 20 Nov 88 05:43:24 GMT
References: <318@aratar.UUCP> <651@sdics.ucsd.EDU>
Reply-To: nick@hp-sdd.UUCP (Nick Flor)
Organization: Hewlett Packard, San Diego
Lines: 26

In article <651@sdics.ucsd.EDU> norman@sdics.UUCP (Donald A Norman-UCSD Cog Sci Dept) writes:
>
>The goal is to make the properties of the system obvious enough that
>the new user can learn them (hence the need for signals that are
>consciously available), yet subtle enough that the frequent user does
>not have the normal work interfered with, so that the usage is
>automatic, and, as a result, the user is not consciously aware of them.
>This is a difficult and delicate question: providing just the level of
>information that can serve these two different requirements.
>

But if the operational feedback doesn't interfere with the informational
feedback, then the expert user doesn't really care if these beginner feedback
mechanisms exist or not.  I don't feel the problem involves figuring
out what level of feedback to provide, as much as it involves figuring
out how to place the feedback mechanisms so that they don't interfere
with the expert user.

For instance, the terminal emulator program I am using has the name of the
terminal emulator in the title bar of the window.  I don't need that 
feedback, but I don't mind it being there.  I still have an 80X24 line
non-obscured display.  Of course I'd take exception if it was in the
middle of the display, or cut my working area to 60X24 lines.


Nick