[Sigia-l] Skill based interfaces (was Coat Hanger Usability)

[Scott Nelson]

On Monday, March 1, 2004, at 03:27  PM, Stew Dean wrote:

> Only if 'usable' means intuitive - which to me it does not.

right, although there's also the ugly idea of "relative" intuitiveness.

Of course relative to what is a natural question, as is "relative to 
what"; a general purpose Personal Computer will, by its very nature, be 
more complex than a single-purpose email only terminal.

I personally still think that many many people vastly overestimate the 
simplicity of operating a car, having long forgotten those first 
moments of jerking along the street cause by pressing the brake pedal 
too firmly; let's not even mention standard transmissions - I can still 
feel the bumps from when my mother was learning how to drive with me in 
the back seat.

A car is a very complex way of doing a very simple thing: getting from 
a to b.

> 'skill based interfaces'? The car being a good example.

A wonderful description; alas, I have none.

Must go drive to a meeting :)
--
Scott Nelson
scott at penguinstorm.com