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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: How about a first-time interactive tutorial?
From:       Michael Peligro <optimus () philwebinc ! com>
Date:       2002-08-24 14:52:28
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On Thursday 22 August 2002 7:21 pm, Alistair Davidson wrote:

> My other thought is that the best tutorials (and the only ones used very
> often, to my knowledge) are computer game tutorials. The way these work,
> usually, is that a box will pop up saying something like "Click here to
> move your tank", with an arrow pointing to where you should click. It then
> waits for you to click, the tank moves, and the box for the next action
> pops up.
>
> I think this is by far the best way of doing tutorials, because it's
> interactive right the way through, and the lessons will be easier to
> remember because you've performed the task. Not only that, but it should be
> simple to store the whole thing in XML files and i18n it.

I remember back when I was teaching Windows and mouse-handling basics to about 
30 users in our office. Most users where afraid of the mouse and found it 
hard to control. I let them play Solitaire instead to train their mouse 
moves. It worked, and learning the mouse was fun. Games are fun, and games 
will work.

We can train users with a game that emphasizes single-clicking over 
double-clicking. 

Unlearning this bad Windows mouse habit can be fun and 
painless. The game has Bill Gates' face randomly appearing. The user tries to 
throw a pie in his face using single-clicks. If he double-clicks, the program 
recognizes this, and warns the user that he needs to single-click to throw 
the pie.

Right-clicking is one very necessary feature a user is easy to forget. A level 
in this "Pie Bill Gates in the face" game will allow him to use 
right-clicking extensively. Let's imagine Bill Gates appearing randomly in 
the game. He appears either:

1. Wearing boxing gloves
2. or wearing an apron.

If he wears boxing gloves, the user right-clicks to select the right action in 
the context menu (Box him!), if he wears an apron, the user selects another 
action in the context menu (Pie him in the face!).

This game can be substituted with a less violent theme or another person (poor 
Bill Gates), perhaps Tux. Again the game should emphasize selecting various 
actions via the context menu after right-clicking.

Dragging icons, copying icons, selecting all icons with a mouse can be 
incorporated in the game. 

Regards,
Michael


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