Free Windows Help Tutorials sponsored by inkjet printer cartridges dot org /title> <META HTTP-EQUIV="imagetoolbar" CONTENT="no"> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; CHARSET=ISO 8859-1"> <META name="description" Content="Hundreds of downloadable Windows help tutorials, articles and how-to guides sponsored by inkjet printer cartridges dot org."><style type="text/css">  </style> </head> <body bgcolor=#999999 vlink=blue link=blue> <span name = "INTRA" class="pg" style="top:0px; left:5px; width:714px; height:1010px"></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:0px; left:5px; height:1010px; width:714px' class='img'> <img src="pg0001im.png" height = "1010 width = "714" border="0"> </span> <span class='nav' style='left: 10px; top: 10px'><pre></pre></span><span name = "INTRA" style='top:51px; left:521px' class="ft5"><pre><font face='Helvetica'>End User Support:Programming</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:104px; left:189px' class="ft3"><pre><font face='Arial'><b>Understanding</b></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:154px; left:146px' class="ft3"><pre><font face='Arial'><b>Software</b> <b>Usability</b></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:248px; left:110px' class="ft2"><pre><font face='Arial'><i><b>If</b></i> <i><b>you're</b></i> <i><b>designing</b></i> <i><b>applications,</b></i> <i><b>or</b></i> <i><b>you're</b></i> <i><b>supporting</b></i> <i><b>people</b></i> <i><b>who</b></i> <i><b>do,</b></i> <i><b>you</b></i> <i><b>need</b></i> <i><b>to</b></i> <i><b>know</b></i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:268px; left:175px' class="ft2"><pre><font face='Arial'><i><b>the</b></i> <i><b>basics</b></i> <i><b>of</b></i> <i><b>what</b></i> <i><b>makes</b></i> <i><b>a</b></i> <i><b>program</b></i> <i><b>easy</b></i> <i><b>to</b></i> <i><b>use</b></i> <i><b>and</b></i> <i><b>what</b></i> <i><b>doesn't.</b></i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:301px; left:549px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>By Wendy Grossman</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:372px; left:77px' class="ft0"><pre><font face='Arial'><b>I</b></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:376px; left:96px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>f there is a simple way to sum up</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:376px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'> HCI (Human Computer Interac </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:376px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>commonplace in the years since, such</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:388px; left:96px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>the problem of interface design it's</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:388px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>tion) and the chances are they'll tell</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:388px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>as onscreen menus and feedback.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:400px; left:96px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>this: good design is hard. If there's</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:400px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>you that a lot of their earliest inspira </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:400px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Computers, the other major target of</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:412px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>a corollary to that, it's that no matter</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:412px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>tion came from the 1988 book The Psy </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:412px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>his wrath, Norman complained were</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:424px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>what design you come up with or how</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:424px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>chology of Everyday Things (later</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:424px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>inconsistent, difficult, demanding and</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:436px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>hard you work on it, from the moment</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:436px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>renamed The Design of Everyday</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:436px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>unhelpful even his Mac.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:448px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>you turn your program over to users to</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:448px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Things ), by Donald A Norman. Only</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:460px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>work with they will use it in ways you</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:460px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>a small part of Norman's book talked</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:462px; left:466px' class="ft2"><pre><font face='Arial'><i><b>Still</b></i> <i><b>No</b></i> <i><b>Change</b></i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:472px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>never imagined, causing problems you</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:472px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>about computers; but even so the book</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:484px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>could never have foreseen. And it will</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:484px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>is still the best introduction to what</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:484px; left:480px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>They still are. Take Windows, for</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:496px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>all be your fault, of course.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:496px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>makes a good design using examples</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:497px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>example. Depending where you are in</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:509px; left:91px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>That said, it's still true that a lot of</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:509px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>of common objects we use all the time.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:509px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>the software and which drives you're</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:521px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>program design is perfectly awful.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:521px; left:286px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Cash machines, for example, are</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:521px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>accessing, dragging and dropping a</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:533px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Graphical interfaces have in no way</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:533px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>simple enough for anyone to use, even</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:533px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>file using the left mouse button may</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:545px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>changed this: a program can be pretty</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:545px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>though they are backed by computers.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:545px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>copy it, move it or create a shortcut </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:557px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>to look at and still hideous to use.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:557px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>A forcing function in some countries</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:557px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>and it's not obvious, even to experi </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:569px; left:91px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>What follows is a look at some of the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:569px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>ensures that customers don't forget to</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:569px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>enced users, exactly which it's going to</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:581px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>issues involved in creating good de </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:581px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>take their cards back, by not dispens </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:581px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>be in a given situation, or why.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:593px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>signs. If you're writing apps for users,</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:593px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>ing the cash until after the customer</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:593px; left:480px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Individual Explorer windows don't</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:605px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>either full scale programs or just Vis </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:605px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>has removed his card. This limits both</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:605px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>retain their settings predictably, the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:617px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>ual Basic front ends to other programs,</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:617px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>security risks and user frustration.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:617px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>metaphor that places the hard disk in </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:629px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>you should find the following useful.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:629px; left:286px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>The shape of old AT&T phones was</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:629px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>side the desktop (which is physically</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:641px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Equally, if you're supporting a team of</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:641px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>deliberately designed to prevent the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:641px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>stored on the hard disk) is confusing,</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:653px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>developers, what follows should pro </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:653px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>phones from disconnecting acciden </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:653px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>and menu options appear and disap </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:665px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>vide some ammunition to persuade</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:665px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>tally or falling over, and the weight</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:665px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>pear for no readily understandable</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:677px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>them to perhaps change a thing or two.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:677px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>and quality of the phones reflected the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:677px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>reason. Worse, when something goes</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:689px; left:91px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Of course, none of this should be</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:689px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>fact that the phone belonged to the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:689px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>wrong with Windows, it's rare for any </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:701px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>necessary. Good design principles in</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:701px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>telephone company, which expected a</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:701px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>one to suggest a way to repair it: the</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:713px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>other industries have been refined</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:713px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>single phone to last a customer 30 years</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:713px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>standard answer is to reinstall and</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:725px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>over decades, even centuries, of prod </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:725px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>or more.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:725px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>hope for the best. With recent versions,</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:737px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>uct development. But the computer in </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:737px; left:286px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Norman reserved some of his most</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:737px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>that means reinstalling all the other</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:749px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>dustry has a unique ability to ignore</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:749px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>powerful venom for VCRs, recom </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:749px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>software on the system, too, which is</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:761px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>everything that anyone else has ever</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:761px; left:272px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>mending changes that have become</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:761px; left:466px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>often a full day's work.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:773px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>invented and start from scratch. Multi </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:785px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>media designers rarely consult the film</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:797px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>or music industries for their expertise</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:809px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>in how to use images, video or sound.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:803px; left:306px' class="ft4"><pre><font face='Arial'><i> Sometimes</i> <i>ease</i> <i>of</i> <i>use</i> <i>depends</i> <i>on</i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:821px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Web designers, the latest incarnation</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:833px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>of this forgetfulness, seem to have no</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:827px; left:316px' class="ft4"><pre><font face='Arial'><i>having</i> <i>the</i> <i>right</i> <i>equipment</i> <i>for</i> <i>a</i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:845px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>idea how or why anyone approaches a</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:857px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Web site or what navigational assis </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:851px; left:318px' class="ft4"><pre><font face='Arial'><i>job</i> <i>or</i> <i>writing</i> <i>for</i> <i>the</i> <i>equipment</i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:869px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>tance or ways of structuring informa </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:881px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>tion would make life easier for visitors.</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:875px; left:334px' class="ft4"><pre><font face='Arial'><i>the</i> <i>user</i> <i>will</i> <i>have</i> <i>available. </i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:893px; left:91px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Talk to specialists in usability usu </font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:905px; left:77px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>ally known as human factors or</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:946px; left:52px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>Update 121 (November 1998) page 19</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:946px; left:617px' class="ft1"><pre><font face='Arial'>File: E0525.1</font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:944px; left:264px' class="ft4"><pre><font face='Arial'><i>PC</i> <i>Support</i> <i>Advisor</i></font></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" class='nav' style='left: 357px; top: 1010px'><pre>Next page <a href='page0002.htm'>></a></pre></span> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:1050px; left:50px' class="ft4"><pre><b><font color="#FF0000" size="3" face="Arial">New!</font><font color="#FF0000" size="3" face="Arial Narrow"> </font><font size="2" face="Arial">The best sites for quality <a href="http://www.inkjet-printer-cartridges.org">inkjet printer cartridges</a> and the best sites for <a href="http://www.cheap-inkjet-cartridges.com">cheap inkjet cartridges</a></font></b></pre></span></body> <span name = "INTRA" style='top:1100px; left:300px' class="ft4"><pre><b><font color="#FF0000" size="3" face="Arial"><a href="../index.html">Windows Help Desk Home</a> </font></b></pre></span></body></html>