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Reduce Intellectual Work
Issue: When you try to "figure
out" something, you're doing intellectual work. Computer jargon places
intellectual demands on end-users. What does the system mean when it displays
"Spooling to selected peripheral device?" Does spooling imply
"threading" the printer output on the spiral tracks of the hard
drive? (Most of our GUI seminar participants think this is the correct
interpretation.)
Solution: "Spool" is an acronym.
Unix developers may know this more than others. It means "Simultaneous
Peripheral Output On Line." But note that most end-users have invented
an inaccurate "mythology" to create meaning when they had none.
What creative interpretations have you heard for "I/O Error,"
"Syntax correction," or even "Start date of the range?"
Therefore, if end-users are not computer specialists, avoid computer jargon.
It's too demanding, and can result in superstitious mythology.
Here are some corollary solutions to intellectual demands from the written
word:
- Acknowledge the user's jargon. "Knowing
thy user" means understanding any special meaning for given words.
Know the user's mental model. For instance, "tank" means "gas
tank" to an auto service station attendant. However, to an infantryman,
"tank" means an armored, tracked vehicle with a big gun. Recall
that General Motors failed to get a following in Spain for its top rated
car, the Chevy "Nova." Executives failed to realize that "Nova"
in Spanish means "no go." Would you buy a car called the "No
Go"?
- Use the active voice. For example:
"Enter the number of sales contracts." Avoid passive voice,
which uses some form of the verb "to be" such as "is,
was, were, will be, should be" etc. For example: "The number
of sales contracts should be entered." Notice that passive voice
sounds optional. Plus, it takes a second for you to realize the instruction
wants you to do the work! Government regulations written in passive
voice contribute significantly to bureaucratic inertia. ("What,
you mean I should take that action?")
- Match the message tone to the user and the
environment. We don't need "please" and "thank
you" in system and error messages. This advice runs contrary to
the Macintosh standard of error messages announcing "Sorry, the
xxx just yyy, and you lost everything." But note that the Macintosh
aimed for the home market. "Please" and "thank you"
served a role in bridging the gab between novice and hi-techno gizmo.
In our corporate environments, however, such politeness becomes self-consciously
cute and "precious." In contrast, what about interfaces such
as an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine)? As a substitute for a "real"
human, we believe that ATM can justify using "please" and
"thank you!" Know thy user. Know their situation, e.g., anthropomorphism
is great for kids programs: "Gosh, your hands are cold." But
imitating humans remains inappropriate in corporate settings: "Groovy.
I just sent a $15,000 check to your nice client."
Reduce Motor Work
Issue: What possible motor, or physical
work, could screen writing cause an end-user? Consider the work of typing
commands or values, such as a menu option. Yes, we could use a mouse click.
But consider that reaching for a mouse costs the same time as required
for 3 to 8 keystrokes! Thus typing can be useful. However, beware of cryptoabbreviations.
In general abbreviations cause typing errors because writers fail to use
a consistent abbreviation scheme (see Figure 8
for an example).
Solution: If the end-user must abbreviate,
use dependable knowledge. That is, when the user abbreviates input, then
require truncation. Require a consistent number of letters. For example,
to enter "append," the user could be required to enter the first
4 characters "appe." The user should know the correct spelling,
and thus avoid errors that require motor work for their correction. Similarly,
to enter "execute," the user would type "exec." When
the user must read the abbreviation, use a different method. Use vowel
deletion, in which "append" appears as "appnd," and
"execute" appears as "exct." Obviously, keep vowels
when needed to interpret the word!
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