Beginners, Experts and Intermediates

1. Beginners, Experts and Intermediates Cooper 3 William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu

2. Topics • Optimize for Intermediates • What Beginners Need • Getting Beginners on Board • What Experts Need • What Perpetual Intermediates Need • Questions & Discussion William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu

3. Optimize for Intermediates • Programmers are experts in their programs • Design tends to cover every possibility • Sales, marketing and management views William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu

4. Optimize for Intermediates • Three goals • Rapidly get beginners into intermediate status • Avoid putting obstacles to becoming experts • Keep perpetual intermediates happy William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu

5. What Beginners Need • Beginner hood is not an objective • A rite of passage for everyone • Users are both intelligent and busy • Helps to understand cause and effect William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu

6. Getting Beginners on Board • Ensure software reflects mental model • Relate objects and actions • Do not fix help into the interface • Online help is generally poor • Require overviews or guided tours • Menu design is critical William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu

7. What Experts Need • Experts have a great influence on others • Esoteric features • Rapid access to features • Powerful features William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu

8. What Perpetual Intermediates Need • Access to tools • ToolTips • Reference materials William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu

9. Questions & Discussion William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu