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Re: Ideas from the north... [3]



Hi,
 
> That said, there's no such thing as an immediately intuitive user
> interface.  If users refuse to learn _anything_ new, it doesn't
> matter how easy your program is to use; they won't try it.  So make
> your program as simple and straightforward as possible, but don't
> try to anticipate everything a user might do.

Shure we most anticipate to much, but at leat you must try to think a 
bit like a teacher... From what I can tell. Most of them like 
Straight forward thing. to much menus (windows) or to much thing to 
think about. Our DOS interface was a bit like a spreadsheet program 
and act much like one. You had a menu whit the Choose the group. then 
they had all the names whit the grade exactly like they had on paper. 
so they did not get confused. (In the windows version it's not 
entirely the same so some get confused on what will apear on the 
sheet when they print the thing out). I dont object to a graphical 
interface as long as people keep in mind that putting to much "power" 
and "possibility" in the hands of the user will result in people 
getting mixed up. Don't forget that if people get confused using the 
basic fonctions of Word like SAVE et SAVE AS theire is a chance that 
a 55years old teacher will to.


Yours,
Pierre-Luc Simard
College Saint-Charles-Garnier