[hoary] initial usability reactions

[Greg Rothenberger]

Speaking as someone whose job entails training *very*
inexperienced computer users in a Windows environment,
I have to agree with this: right-click is the cause of
more confusion (and fear) for our users than anything
else (except viruses). No matter how many times we
tell them that unless we specifically say right-click,
they will use the left button, they still ask, "Is
that right-click or left-click?" BTW, I'm training new
computer users (generally age 50+) in a public library
environment.

I'd very much like to find a way around the entire
right-click problem, but I've no ideas right now. If
anyone has, I'd love to hear them.

On the whole icons/empty desktop issue, I prefer my
desktop empty. In fact, that's one of the things I
love about Ubuntu: a nice, clean desktop. Other
people, however, use desktop icons. Yesterday, I was
late getting out of work because I had to put
shortcuts on the desktops of some new computers in
another department so they could find their programs
and most important documents. Please understand, these
aren't stupid people (although I wasn't willing to
concede that yesterday); they just don't know how to
find anything on a computer. So if it makes it easier
for new users to have desktop icons, put them in. Just
let me be able to turn them off.

Greg Rothenberger
New Albany (Indiana) USA
"Shackled to Windows at work, but free at home."

Mr. Dunbar wrote:


Ugh. Right-click. One of the worst interface crutches
ever devised (I
love it but I'm also not your typical computer user).
Right-click is
the single-worst design flaw in GUIs since it obviates
the need for a
good GUI design plan (i.e. to access
settings/commands). I have seen
SOOOOO many new and also EXPERIENCED computer users
completely baffled
by right-click commands. It was the experienced
computer users that I
found interesting to watch -- when I noticed last year
that
experienced users seemed to have problems with
right-click, I spent a
few weeks watching computer users around me and
discovered that _most_
experienced computer users didn't use right-click. Now
that I'm in a
100% Windoze environment at work (100s of idiot boxes)
I've watched
people ... that Windoze requires the use of
right-click is a major
deterrent for people using their computers
effectively.

Eric.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com