Re: [Usability] user levels, etc.

[Reinout van Schouwen <reinout cs vu nl>]

Hi,

On 13 Nov 2001, David Moles wrote:

> > That said... our core users- the ones who make GNOME go- are /hackers/.
> > I believe very strongly that if GNOME is not hacker friendly they won't
> > hack for us. And if they don't hack for us we're in deep trouble.
>
> Why is it that every "let's make this system easier for ordinary
> users" project eventually turns into "let's make this system cooler
> for hackers"? :)

This whole discussion keeps reminding me of the WarpGuide UI agent in OS/2
Warp 4. [1] For several key dialogs it annotates the user interface with
cue cards. The contents of the cue cards depend on one of four user levels
which are determined from variables like 'how often does the user open
this dialog', 'how much time does it take the user to pick an option',
etc.

So in theory, it would be possible to decide to show or to not show
options based on the calculated user level (overridable, of course).

[1] I've written a small paper on intelligent user interface agents for a
course earlier this year. If you'd like to read it you can find it on
http://www.cs.vu.nl/~reinout/Intelligent_User_Interface_Agents.pdf

regards,

-- 

Reinout van Schouwen
e-mail    : reinout cs vu nl
mob/voice : +31-6-44360778 / 084-8750706

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