In <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, on 05/15/2006
at 08:49 PM, Dave Salt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said:
>My experience is that 90% of programmers use the upgraded ISPF/PDF
>interface almost immediately after the new option is added to their
>ISPF menu. The other 10% eventually come around, just as they
>eventually came around to using ISPF option 3.4. Human nature is
>such that if a tool is not only far more powerful than whatever they
>were using before, but is also far easier to use, inertia is quickly
>overcome.
From: "Shmuel Metz (Seymour J.)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
That's not my experience; I've seen all too many programmers ignoring
useful ISPF enhancements for many releases. In some cases they will
try them once they see[1] me using them, but in other cases they won't
because it's not what they're used to.
I think that's the key; the user has to 'see' the new command/feature/option
in order to use it. For example, along comes a new release of ISPF with a
wonderful new command that can be used in edit called 'COMPARE'. However,
where does the user have to go to know this new command is available? Most
users don't read tutorials or new versions of the ISPF manuals. So, unless
they get training (Steve: your comments go here...) or they see someone else
use the command or they see the command 'advertised' somewhere on one of the
panels they go to, the new command is simply ignored. However, if you add a
new option to an ISPF menu (e.g. just as 3.4 was once added), curiosity will
eventually get the better of most people, and eventually they'll go in and
take a look.
Most ISPF panels work on the premise that people will read the manuals or go
into tutorials or pull down the drop down menus. In my experience, just like
yours, this isn't the case. Options and commands have to be clearly visible
or at least presented, otherwise most people will never know they exist.
Some people think it's impossible to display every command or option on a
panel, because each panel has limited space. However, where there's a will
there's usually a way. For example, using the edit COMPARE command I just
mentioned, it would obviously be impractical to permanently list the command
at the top of the edit panel. So, in a situation like this, an alternative
might be to do something like this:
1) When someone goes into an edit session under a new ISPF release for the
very first time, a message could be displayed saying "The following new
commands are available...".
2) When someone goes into ISPF option 3.12 for the very first time, a
message could be displayed saying "Did you know you can compare 2 files from
within an edit session? Here's how..."
These suggestions are not 'bullet proof' and there will always be people who
ignore messages and just don't want to learn. But for the majority of
people, I think if you SHOW them something is available and they think it
might be useful, they will want to try it.
Dave Salt
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