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Re: Getting it OUT! - Idea!
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Note: This message is from the outliners.com archive kindly provided by Dave Winer.
Outliners.com Message ID: 2088
Posted by sub
2004-07-30 01:47:32
[Steve Zeoli wrote: I share Alexander’s sense that the ergonomics/aesthetics of a program matter. ... I readily admit, however, that this is probably my shortcoming, not the applications, though it makes me feel better to know I’m not the only one.]
Supposing a new car was out in the market, which was fast, reliable, and oil-efficient but required three hands to drive it. Should its assured market failure be attributed to most drivers’ shortcoming of having only two hands?
Pardon the unrefined analogy, but I do expect hardware and software producers to accomodate users’ requirements rather than users having to adjust to the designers’ perception of things.
[Jack Crawford: Do you prefer something like the functionality in Time & Chaos where you can choose to have the panes in different positions or even closed altogether, depending on how you like to work?]
[Steve Zeoli: Are these two things linked? The simpler the interface, the less powerful the program. Doesn’t seem like that should necessarily follow.]
For me, Time and Chaos is an excellent example of a powerful program that was developed with a user-centered approach. It’s amazing how much info they’ve managed to put in one screen in a non-confusing manner; and, as Jack notes, you can simplify it even more to suit your personal preferences (isn’t that what the “preferences” menu item is all about?)
Back to the car paradigm; the Information Technology currently included in a contemporary car, dealing with everything from brake reliability to temperature control, is amazing. Yet even if you learnt to drive twenty years you can still get into such a car for the first time, find your way around in a matter of seconds and drive to your destination without requiring a friendly manual.
alx