::scr Internet Explorer - Danger in numbers?

[Simon Wistow]

On Wed, Mar 06, 2002 at 07:27:56PM +0000, David Cantrell said:
> Not really.  Security needs to be designed in right from the start, but
> once it is, it need not get in the way of usability.

This is very true. Ironically (fittingly? I'm having problems with my
words at the moment, I blame the penguins [0]) it's exactly the same
thing I hear from usability [1] people. 

Dave, meet the new IA types on the list. New IA types, thanks for
subscribing. Meet Dave :)

> No, no, a thousand times no.  A computer is a tool.  I see no problem with
> people having to learn and understand their tools before use.  You wouldn't
> expect anyone to be able to pick up a multimeter and debug the wiring in
> your flat, or a stethoscope to debug your heart, so why on earth should the
> tool that sits on your desk be different?

But a computer is supposed to be an abstraction tool. They're supposed
to be getting easier. Otherwise we'd be back in a garage soldering our
own motherboards.

Steve Wozniak got an Altair. Then he built his own computers. Then he
came up with the Apple ][. Now, a couple of decades later, we have an
angelpoise lamp with DVD drive and a G4 processor and a point and drool
GUI. 

This is progress.


> Useable != intuitive.  Useable implies easy to learn and consistent.

That's the problem - there's supposed to be a learning curve (or no
curve whatsoever if I read Raskin right. Which I usually don't since I
disagree with a fair bit of stuff he says) but, borrowing from Chemistry
terms, the activation energy to get onto that curve is small.

With Crypto/Security that activation energy is much higher. There's an
initial bump with very little positive feedback - "God, why do I have to
keep changing my password every 2 weeks? Why can't I write it on a
postit note? Why can't it be based on a dictionary word? *grumble*
*grumble*" -  which will put people off.

Games (moi? talking about games? never!) are possibly the best example
of this ... they are ultimate 'must be easy' interface - if people don't
immediately get into your game then it's toast in the market. At the
same time you need to have a fair bit of security in there to stop
pirates, online cheating, whatever.

Of course the problem space, the enviroment and the number of tasks
required is a lot smaller but still ...

Simon

[0] This will mean nothing to most people. It's got something to do with
this http://thegestalt.org/screen.png but, basically, don't worry about
it.

[1] What *do* people like to be called? Usability Experts? IAs?
Interface Designers? HCI specialists? All of the above? I have a
horrible feeling that one day I'll inadvertently offend somebody - "Nah,
we're the People's Democratic Front of Information Architects, you want
the Front of Democratic People's Usability Experts"



-- 
: fast, cheap and out of control