You are correct that alphabetical order does not reflect any relationship between the items in a list other than where the words, usually the first, falls in the alphabet, but I would not say that is not logical.
Mary On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 5:40 PM, Elizabeth Buie <[email protected]> wrote: > Mary Deaton writes: > > >... when I open my music > >library list on line looking for things to put on my MP3 player, I want > the > >list of artists or songs or albums in alphabetical order. In that context > >and at that time, alphabetical is a well-ordered, predictable arrangement > >that makes it easy for me to find Ryan Adams or Ziggy Marley. It is all > >about context and user goals, isn't it? > > Mary, what you have described supports perfectly my position that > alphabetical ordering is the best when there is no logical ordering based on > content. Alphabetical is not itself a logical order. That doesn't mean > it's illogical to use it, of course, just that there is no logic on which it > is based: It is arbitrary. > > Elizabeth > > -- > Elizabeth Buie > Luminanze Consulting, LLC > tel +1.301.943.4168 (US) > tel +39.347.394.7022 (Italia) > fax +1.301.949.9694 (US only) > www.luminanze.com > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [email protected] > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > -- Mary Deaton Yes we can. Yes we did. Yes we will ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
