Re:Goodbye Basecamp, This Is The End
by _phred on Friday June 24, 2011 @09:38PM
(#2694653)
Indeed, there's a balance to strike between retraining and familiarity.
_The Humane Interface_ discusses the balance between delivering something with "optimal usability" from an objective and scientifically validated standpoint vs. delivering a product the target audience can quickly familiarize themselves with and transfer their existing domain knowledge to.
So, while the Canon Cat may be a revolution in word processors, the average user will do better with something similar to Microsoft Word because they know it and can apply what they already know rather than learn a whole new way of word processing.
_The Humane Interface_ discusses the balance between delivering something with "optimal usability" from an objective and scientifically validated standpoint vs. delivering a product the target audience can quickly familiarize themselves with and transfer their existing domain knowledge to.
So, while the Canon Cat may be a revolution in word processors, the average user will do better with something similar to Microsoft Word because they know it and can apply what they already know rather than learn a whole new way of word processing.