fundamentals of the gnome user interface

[sungod <as387 yfn ysu edu>]

a few of my classes have dealt with psychology; i think it's important
to introduce gnome programmers to some basic psychology of learning
before allowing them to create a medium to be learned (namely, a gnome
app). therefore, i propose the following be included in the fundamentals
of the gnome user interface. this proposition is not meant to be
included verbatim in the user interface style guide but discussed and
reworded for conciseness. everyone please respond.

people who use tools generally take one of two approaches to learning
its use:

1.) "browsing." this approach is generally used by people who need to
use a tool to complete a specific task but are not required to master
its use to increase productivity. an example of "browsing" would be a
typewriter user who looks at the letter printed on each keycap to
determine which one to press to achieve the desired result. although a
user can often become quite skilled at quickly finding the appropriate
key locations as they become accustomed to using them, they will never
be able to type more than about 30 wpm due to the limitations of using
one or two fingers and having to see the letters on the keycaps in order
to use them. this person expends the least amount of time figuring out
how to operate the equipment, completing the task they need to complete
and not thinking further about the potential of his tool. he is a
productive person because he completed the task with the tool at his
disposal in a short amount of time.

the typewriter has, of course, been carefully designed to allow this
person to "discover" its controls and use them without having to read an
owner's manual or memorize a complex relationship between a control and
a desired action.

2.) "memorizing." this approach is used by people who need to use the
tool regularly to produce several similar desired effects in a minimal
amount of time. this person needs to use this tool as efficiently as
possible to maintain high productivity. an example of "memorization"
would be a touch typist who can type over one hundred words per minute
on a typewriter by looking at the source document, rather than at the
paper output or at the keyboard. this person has spent a long time
becoming very familiar with his tool, makes maximum use of each of his
ten fingers, knows the layout of the keys subconsciously so he does not
have to waste time creating a new association between a control and its
desired reaction.

gnome application developers must honor each of these two approaches to
tool usage. although the tool must be ultimately "discoverable" by
people in group #1 through use of clear and easily self-explaining
controls (more about those in a later post), they must also allow quick
access to these same controls through the most efficient means possible
for those in group #2 who take the time to learn them and desire to use
them productively as a matter of routine.

let the comments flow.
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