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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: optionitis
From:       Eric Ellsworth <eeric () ocean ! washington ! edu>
Date:       2002-02-21 22:03:43
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Don't quite you on user levels, Aaron.

We may not want to code them into the functioning of the OS, but we do have to 
have a framework of what level of user will use what kind of option to make 
good decisions about where they go.

Maybe a rubric of usability-related skills, which we could use to evaluate 
what the target audience for an app/feature/option is?

EE

On Monday 18 February 2002 05:56 am, Aaron J. Seigo wrote:
> hi...
>
> > Here's an idea, why don't we ask the user in their first login how
> > familiar they are with KDE?  This would set an option that an application
> > could check, and the more advanced the user is, the more options that
> > would be available to him/her.  We would need to make sure that option is
> > pretty visible though. This way we could satisfy both power users and
> > novices.
>
> user levels don't work because someone may be well versed in one thing, but
> completely lost in another rendering a single "how much do you know?"
> question meaningless. it also makes it more difficult (nearly impossible)
> for novices to learn the more useful/powerful/advanced features since they
> are rendered invisible.
>
> instead of crippling the interface, options need to be properly organized
> and presented in the first place.
>
> this may include rewording descriptions, reorganzing option groupings,
> redefining how the user sets or interacts with a given option, moving some
> options to "advanced" tabs, etc..
>
> specific suggestions for specific configuration dialogs would be most
> useful in accomplishing this.

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