On Tue, 04 Aug 2015 07:51:05 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 8/4/2015 12:36 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>> I think I disagree with that concept.
>>> >For me, education is King or Queen. (I am an equal opportunity know
>>> >it all.)
>>> >When you start simplifying complex software to the extent you think
>>> >the man on the Clapham omnibus can operate it without any training.
>>> >You are doing no one any favours. I learnt a word recently. It is
>>> >nerfed. And that is the Micro$oft way.
>>> >Form should follow function, not the other way around.
>>> >IMO
> 
>> Take a look at Apple products and interfaces, then take a look at
>> Microsoft products and interfaces.
>>
>> Apple understands the benefits of designing before you implement the
>> backend.
>>
>>
> I spent a whole five minuets thinking about this. And have come to the
> conclusion that I have turned into the older generation, already.

LOL

> Physically Apple products beat everything else hands down. IMO
> Interfaces, they are not intuitive to me, too much thought has gone into
> them and I feel that they are over engineered. But then when technology
> morphs into consumer products. Something has to change to let the little
> darlings use it without straining their capabilities.
> So I will sit back, keep my gob shut, if I can, and wait for the sky to
> fall.

Well, think about the original iPod interface as an example.  One button, 
one dial, intuitive to use.  My mother learned how to use it, and she's 
not the most technical person in the world (she would be the first to say 
it). :)

>> The trick is to not dumb down the capabilities, but to make them easy
>> to use.
> 
> I could not agree more. It is the detail where the devil resides.
> I would like to hear Patrick's opinion on this.

Properly designed technology is a joy to use.  The problem is that most 
user interaction is not designed by people trained in UX design - it's 
designed by developers who have had to run with the "design" mantle as 
part of the job.

When you build a building, you don't just start putting steel and 
concrete together - you start with a blueprint, and that blueprint 
defines a lot about what the final product looks like.  There are design 
elements that cover the infrastructure used, certainly - and those are 
designed by competent designers of those infrastructure components.

But the exterior isn't designed by the person who also designed the 
electrical system or the plumbing system.

Modern software UIs are typically designed by the electrician - which 
means that the light switches and outlets are all really well placed, but 
the things the user cares about are often not where the user would 
intuitively look.

That's not the fault of the proverbial electrician - it's a management 
issue.

Jim

-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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