Re: Participating in the user interface
Regarding the issue that's been discussed over the
past few days about participating in the user
interface -- I have always found it frustrating to try
and speak up and contribute input because whenever I
say "I think you should do Y instead of X," the
developers always say, "Well, our policy has always
been to do X." So what's the use?
You're right. There is not much use in starting a sentence, "I think you should...." That's not likely to get results in any circumstance I can think of, unless someone comes to you and asks explicity, "What do you think I should do?"
Try, "I think users would have an easier time of it if ...," or "I think users would be less confused and would call our support line less often if ...," and see whether that gets you a little better traction.
And that's not the best approach, it's just a little better than the one you're using now. Much better would be actual evidence: "I observed six of our users trying to navigate the application, and I saw four of them ... instead of ...."
"Our policy" is a good defense against "I think you should," but it is a lousy defense against actual evidence.
Just a thought.
Dick
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References:
Participating in the user interface: From: Yaeger Hyde
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