On 2003-12-04 23:21:09 +0000 Ben Francis ben@franci5.fsnet.co.uk wrote:
I know what you mean, Graham. I do sometimes wonder if some of the people on this list actually have any friends whose first language isn't binary. (No offence intended :D ).
Some taken.
I even often wonder why the QWERTY keyboard [...]
As you know, I use another keyboard.
When I go to heat my tea up in the microwave [...] I just open the door, press "micro power", press "10s" three times and press "go".
...and that interface does something similar, but even more complex with incrementing counters, interacting event loops and so on. You don't really try to do mods quite as complicated to your microwave as you do your PC. If you ever wanted to, you'd find it
When I press the remote on my TV I need ONE button to change the channel, I don't have feed in the frequency, brightness, contrast and aspect ratio with about three attempts before I get my syntax right.
My TV remote probably has a simpler remote interface than yours. There's a number showing current channel by the screen. They keypad has a volume +/- control and a big red button that flips channel when pressed and switches it off when held (with a big mechanical "CLICK" as the power button toggles). I only use the boggleworthy video remote if I want to use the video. I set the VCR to channel 1, which the TV displays by default, as I thought I'd use its richer interface, but I don't. It's just an obstruction to watching programmes. I've been thinking about interfaces for years and I still sometimes don't recognise a bad interface very quickly.
An interface that seems more complicated than it needs to be at first glance is my telephone. It has lots of buttons, arranged around the edge of the normal keypad. It has an LCD display. It has red indicator lights. I actually use most of these features, as I use my telephone in a certain way. The buttons down the left column are speed dial. The top control things like volume (nice when you use phones a lot), speaker and display. The right are other call-related features, like redial, hold and programming the speed dials. They're arranged fairly logically and easy to use raised light grey buttons on a black phone. The only control there I don't use much is the clock setter.
I don't think other users like the phone much. There's a different phone with basically just the number pad on the other line with a programmed smart box that still lets me use the complicated features through hash-codes if I must. I don't use that much, but nearly everyone else does. Even though the basic phone task (pick up handset, dial number) is the same on both, people are put off by the extra buttons. It *looks* harder.
Maybe this is why different applications for the same tasks will always happen. That, and "intuitive is what you're used to".