tkoppel@isis.UUCP (05/20/87)
I, too, don't have a real good definition of what this newgroup ought to be though in my mind I saw it as discussing the ethics of various decisions (design, perhaps, implementation, perhaps) as opposed to the technical side as discussed in the *.risks newsgroup. But I digress. I share Larry's concern about designing a system for the basic illiterate that can also accommodate someone with a tad more computer dexterity. Our products (library automations software) had to be designed for the professor/scholar as well as the one-time library user who needs a book on fixing his '57 Chevy and will never return to the library again. I have problems with icons ... I'm not sure why I feel that way, except that the 'written word', ambiguous as it can be, is almost by definition (my definition !!) LESS ambiguous than an icon. In a user population where skill can be anywhere from 0 to 100%, and intelligence the same, it seems that icons have great potential for confusing people. I certainly don't have any answers...but then, isn't that what this newsgroup is all about...? -- Ted Koppel == CARL - Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries == 303-750-9142 !hao!isis!tkoppel CompuServe: 71460,1572