Gregory's Server@davidaugust Isn't that the case for basically anything new that one encounters?
Very few things other than doors & handles are that simple.
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8 comments
 @davidaugust That's true. Which is part of why good UI is so hard I think. Even something with as limited a set of features as a door isn't instantly intuitive.  @lispi314 right, and still worth aiming for such a thing. Hard but vital work. Good documentation will always be a good thing, and ought to be included everywhere possible. And requiring users to use documentation should be done only when absolutely unavoidable or explicitly wanted. A nuclear power plant likely should have controls an untrained person can’t access and use, for instance. @davidaugust I can agree, particularly for emergency or essential controls, it should also be careful not to remove all the other controls that a more trained user might want to use however. @davidaugust Some things though will unavoidably require initial training. Like keyboard-driven interfaces, where one of the most important things would be to ensure documentation can be easily reached and the way to do so is one of the first things one sees. @lispi314 right. And that’s a good way to avoid “where is the printed manual” that can easily go missing or be misplaced. Guiding users almost always makes sense, and ideally requires no special ancillary steps. I like to remember the round doorknob vs level style doorknob as an exemplar of trying to build to allow a user to find the solution without needing them to be good at seeking a help system or manual. @davidaugust One of the unfortunate things is that until not so long ago, it used to be relatively standard to quite literally build the manual into the software (along with the printed version also existing). At some point as the web became more common, that habit got dropped. And since sites & links routinely die, the replacement of "just go on the site" is terrible (nevermind other common connectivity problems, which is even more "fun" when a router has that problem). @lispi314 agreed. I get that maintaining a single documentation location is easier and less expensive for those building a system, but the users need it available wherever they look whenever they look. I prefer inline but not cluttering documentation as it is convenient for users (most of the time) and if something is changed that something’s documentation is right there obviously needing change too. Your connectivity example is a use case that really demands no remote resource be needed. |
@lispi314 even those are not always. A round door knob is intuitive once one is shown but only if one is not differently limbed. However, a door handle (like pictured) even some animals may be able to figure out with no instruction or example. It is more accessible and typically more usable.