Re: [CSS21] properties for table-column (In HTML: COL) & table-column-group (In HTML: COLGROUP) items.

On 7/1/05, David Woolley <david@djwhome.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> > Well I would have gotten rid of font size and family selection a long
> > time ago, but that's me.
> 
> That tends to re-inforce the idea that you are not really interested
> in styling but in better semantic markup in HTML itself.  There is
> a big demand from people who commission web sites for these features,
> which is why Netscape added them very early in its life.  I'd agree
> that they are often used in ways that are bad for the consumer, but
> the consumer rarely pays directly for the web site.

"Give a child a pair of scissors and the probability of running is 100%"

That's not a real quote, but it ought to be. Never underestimate
people's inclination for self-destructive behavior. One thing that you
learn pretty quickly in usability classes is that users will ask for
things they don't really want and things that will ultimately harm
them. I don't write copy, I don't design graphics. Why? Because I
would single-handedly destroy our business. The point of professionals
and specialists is that each person should know more about the
particular topic than the non-specialists. So while graphic designers
wanted toys to make their lives more fun, they weren't helping
themselves. Now the trick is to filter the bad requests from the good
requests. Though watching them work is probably infinately better.
It's hard for a person to analyze their own behavior, especially
untrained.

The usability professionals take cracks at why things happen, but the
more useful stuff comes from the raw numbers (e.g. 82% didn't find
this button even though it's 28pt, bright red and blinking).

So we give them what they need and what they really want longterm even
if they can't see it at the moment. Specialists are to parents, as
non-specialists are to children. It's all about experience. Like in
the world of parenting, the web designers didn't need us to make them
happy by giving them toys. They needed us to make them safe by saying
no.

Orion Adrian

Received on Friday, 1 July 2005 22:48:50 UTC