Geoff Pack wrote:
If the users don't understand a particular feature of the web, one
that's been around since its very beginning, then they (damn well)
should feel insecure in their mastery. They are not masters (yet). If
we don't confuse the users occaissionly, how will they ever learn
that there is more to it than they think, and how will they ever
increase their knowledge.
:-)
Most responses I've gotten from users is that they don't want added
knowledge about how the web/sites/anything work. They simply don't care.
Users seems to generally only want more (of the same) knowledge from
"content" - not (anything new) from the "interface". They just want
everything to work the way they have learned it - once, and dislike any
changes to their "mental model".
That generally goes for everything - on and off the web.
Or do we just dumb everything down until we have some small subset
that everyone understands?
Sounds like a good description of how it is often done. The often
mentioned 'ignorance' (described with a lot more words) is (to be)
supported as far as possible - and then some.
Of course; that doesn't work too well for anyone in the long run. No
room for changes then, and everything will grind to a hold. No progress
in that.
Keeping the masses ignorant up to a point, and then overwhelm them with
changes that have been gradually growing out of their view, is how it
often works.
It often does work quite well too, simply because it _has_ to.
---
Personally I think a slight insecurity among users is to be preferred.
Gradual introduction of variations of the old along with some new. Users
should expect things to change all the time - because they do anyway.
I'm confused all the time, and I think that's a good thing ;-)
regards
Georg
--
http://www.gunlaug.no
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