Re: [Usability] user levels, etc.

[John Kodis <kodis jagunet com>]

On Tue, Nov 13, 2001 at 11:31:25AM +1100, Jeff Waugh wrote:

> User testing does not equate to "one person or any small team dictating", it
> means giving Real Users tasks to achieve with an interface, and analysing
> where they stuff up (which is, in the end, an interface issue).

One problem I've noticed with this type of user testing is that the
test subjects are generally users who are inexperienced or unfamiliar
with what is being tested.  This tends to lead to interfaces that
offer few choices, and that tend to be similar to whatever Microsoft
does.  

While there's some validity to testing for this type of
audience, it's unlikely to yield the type of interface that would be
best for me, or best for people like me who are willing to spend a few
minutes learning the ins and outs of a different interface.

-- John Kodis.