Users Have Different Goals

Your goals are often in conflict with the user's goals. The following lists describe typical programmer goals and typical user goals.

Typical Programmer Goals

  • Programmers want their software to be fun to program, often by using new tools and technologies.
  • Programmers want to write their software quickly, often by using third-party solutions, so that it can be delivered on schedule.
  • Programmers want their software to be easy to implement, often by avoiding user interface details, documentation, and gory debugging.
  • Programmers want to advance their career by working with technologies that are in demand.
  • Programmers enjoy technical challenges and want to know how software works.
  • Programmers don't care much about installation, documentation, and technical support—these are perceived as somebody else's job.

Typical User Goals

  • Users don't generally use software because they enjoy using software. (Games are an obvious exception.) Rather, they use software to get their work done.
  • Despite the fact that users generally don't use software because they enjoy using it, users want to get their work done enjoyably.
  • Users want to get their work done quickly.
  • Users want to get their work done without having to read documentation or ask for help. They don't want to know how the software works.
  • When they have to read documentation, users want it to answer their questions with a minimum amount of effort.
  • Users want software to install and uninstall easily.

No big surprises here, but notice that programmers and users have fundamentally different goals.



Developing User Interfaces for Microsoft Windows
Developing User Interfaces for Microsoft Windows
ISBN: 0735605866
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 334

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