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Re: experts

• From: Dave Winer <dave@u...>
• To: Gavin Thomas Nicol <gtn@e...>, xml-dev@l...
• Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2001 08:31:15 -0800

Yes, that's true, and problem is once you know too much you aren't a user
anymore.

I wish it were otherwise, it doesn't seem fair. ;->

As I use my software which I think is easy to use, I ask myself how did I
know to do that obscure thing that made it work. I know because I wrote the
code. Most of my users aren't coders, and even if they were they didn't
write this code. So if a feature is key to understanding the software, it
must be lifted up out of obscurity and a light shined on it, so they can't
possibly miss it. And at the same time, the light must not be so bright so
that it obscures the other stuff that they need to click on to get the
software to work for them.

Net-net, sometimes you gotta have someone around who doesn't know what you
know to teach you how to make your ideas enter the minds of people who don't
know, assuming that's the goal.

Dave


----- Original Message -----
From: "Gavin Thomas Nicol" <gtn@e...>
To: <xml-dev@l...>
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2001 7:56 AM
Subject: RE: experts


> > However if you want to make something good and accessible to
> > non-experts, to busy people who primarily do other things,
> > imho you have to listen to those people.
>
> I don't think anyone debates that point... we've all learned
> our lessons.
>
> I think the point is that many of the "experts" are also
> "users". Again, my contention is that a real expert is one
> that knows enough to know what works and what doesn't. A
> clever expert might even rope in a few users for sanity
> checking purposes ;-)
>
>
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