Re: Completely intuitive software

[Elna Tymes <etymes -at- LTS -dot- COM>]

Karen

> As a result of
> usability testing, I recommended that a certain function be changed, because
> the users consistently did not understand it. The overwhelming response from
> the developers was that it's impossible to create software that's completely
> intuitive; the user must read the manual.

To put a very fine point on it, your developers are correct, but off the mark.
No object is completely intuitive every time, for every user.  However, good
design can make an object infinitely easier to use, even for a first-time user.
And a good manual can help explain that which different users won't find
intuitively obvious.

One of the most obvious examples of the value of good design was an old
Macintosh commercial, showing tons of manuals dropping beside a DOS box, but a
couple of thin little booklets slowly floating down beside a Mac.  The
commercial basically asked which computer the user considered easier to use.

What your developers are doing is what lots of developers do - resisting making
any changes that they didn't think of.  What you're doing is playing the honored
role of user advocate, an extremely important function in software development.

Elna Tymes
Los Trancos Systems

>
>
> It was my impression that the current tech-writer-favored trends were to
> make the software functionality and the UI as intuitive as possible, weaning
> the user off documentation. Was I wrong?
>
> I'm not debating whether or not we should have manuals or anything like
> that. I was just trying to get the project lead to make changes to the
> interface rather than always saying, "Just explain it in the manual" or
> "Once they do it wrong, they'll learn not to do it that way again."
>
> Please share your insight. Thank you so much!
> Karen
> ______________________
> Karen Peterson
> Peterson_Karen -at- prc -dot- com
> 610.260.2644
>
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