Re: Question About Item in Check list

to follow up on what Wendy A Chisholm said:

> Are there other issues that we need to be aware of in regards
> to this guideline?  Is it helpful?  Necessary?  Could it
> possibly create other problems?

There is a related issue that has [to my knowledge with current
technology] to be addressed at a site level.

This has to do with the fact that users learn.  As they learn
they want less display information but when they first encounter
a site or topic, they want a lot of context and explanation as
they go.

Computer application developers have taken to using "Cue cards"
and related tricks to get users to participate with the tutorial
sections of the help/learn subsystem when they are new.  This
lets the core controls which are always in the loop be relatively
terse, optimized for the trained habitual user.

Web sites have to provide some of this verbosity diversity, too.
The "how to use this site" sub-web at www.microsoft.com is a good
example of how one can do this.

User needs are not static but shift as the same user uses the
same site repeatedly.  Since sites want not just to draw the
first hit but to win repeat business, they have to provide a
range of fast-vs-clear ways to use the site.

-- Al

Received on Thursday, 15 January 1998 15:27:41 UTC