Comments on: Overestimating Users’ Knowledge http://www.wisdump.com/webmastering/overestimating-users-knowledge/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=overestimating-users-knowledge Dumping wisdom on the masses Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:03:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Amy http://www.wisdump.com/webmastering/overestimating-users-knowledge/comment-page-1/#comment-6353 Amy Fri, 17 Nov 2006 17:08:18 +0000 http://wisdump.com/?p=254#comment-6353 ChaCha is so neat! You can use a real person to help you find what you need in no time! I love this new search engine, I have downloaded the ChaCha toolbar too so I can use it all the time! You should try it! :) ChaCha is so neat! You can use a real person to help you find what you need in no time! I love this new search engine, I have downloaded the ChaCha toolbar too so I can use it all the time! You should try it! :)

]]> By: Stilgherrian http://www.wisdump.com/webmastering/overestimating-users-knowledge/comment-page-1/#comment-6352 Stilgherrian Sun, 08 Oct 2006 01:45:53 +0000 http://wisdump.com/?p=254#comment-6352 Lode's comment summarises what's wrong with most developers' approach: When the user doesn't understand the tool, they're branded "stupid". I prefer to think of them as "uneducated" -- which can be fixed with education. Or perhaps it's the tool which is wrong. I work a lot with end users, providing IT support to small businesses which are not about IT or the Internet. They're in retail, manufacturing, entertainment, aged care -- whatever. I've found these people to be intelligent, but not "into" computers. They've picked up enough to do their job -- write documents, edit spreadsheets, read and send email -- but that's it. Pretty much everything they've learnt about computers has been passed on word-of-mouth from similarly-uneducated users. They have very little formal knowledge. * They have never heard the term "dialog box". * They do not understand the difference between single-clicking and double-clicking, so they double-click on everything because sometimes they single-click and nothing happens. * They don't know that the stripey triangle on the bottom right of a window is a re-size control, they think it's just decoration. Until someone points that out. They're discouraged from exploring because (1) things are labelled with words that are meaningless to them, (2) the computer guy tells them not to fiddle with things, and (3) when they ask questions, the response is often body langauge which says "Gawd, how stupid are you?" So they stop asking questions. In this context, they see a text-entry box with an "OK" next to it, maybe some icon like a picture of the Earth. Why should they be expected to know the difference between an "address bar" and a "search box"? Lode’s comment summarises what’s wrong with most developers’ approach: When the user doesn’t understand the tool, they’re branded “stupid”.

I prefer to think of them as “uneducated” — which can be fixed with education.

Or perhaps it’s the tool which is wrong.

I work a lot with end users, providing IT support to small businesses which are not about IT or the Internet. They’re in retail, manufacturing, entertainment, aged care — whatever. I’ve found these people to be intelligent, but not “into” computers. They’ve picked up enough to do their job — write documents, edit spreadsheets, read and send email — but that’s it.

Pretty much everything they’ve learnt about computers has been passed on word-of-mouth from similarly-uneducated users. They have very little formal knowledge.

* They have never heard the term “dialog box”.
* They do not understand the difference between single-clicking and double-clicking, so they double-click on everything because sometimes they single-click and nothing happens.
* They don’t know that the stripey triangle on the bottom right of a window is a re-size control, they think it’s just decoration. Until someone points that out.

They’re discouraged from exploring because (1) things are labelled with words that are meaningless to them, (2) the computer guy tells them not to fiddle with things, and (3) when they ask questions, the response is often body langauge which says “Gawd, how stupid are you?” So they stop asking questions.

In this context, they see a text-entry box with an “OK” next to it, maybe some icon like a picture of the Earth. Why should they be expected to know the difference between an “address bar” and a “search box”?

]]> By: Gizmoojo! http://www.wisdump.com/webmastering/overestimating-users-knowledge/comment-page-1/#comment-6351 Gizmoojo! Fri, 06 Oct 2006 16:03:42 +0000 http://wisdump.com/?p=254#comment-6351 Chacha is a cool concept. I tried it the other day and asked a guide to search for Wii Preorder sites, but the guide do not even know what is a Wii. The concept is cool but obviously, there's more work to be done for matching guides to topics. Chacha is a cool concept. I tried it the other day and asked a guide to search for Wii Preorder sites, but the guide do not even know what is a Wii. The concept is cool but obviously, there’s more work to be done for matching guides to topics.

]]> By: mike http://www.wisdump.com/webmastering/overestimating-users-knowledge/comment-page-1/#comment-6350 mike Tue, 03 Oct 2006 17:43:50 +0000 http://wisdump.com/?p=254#comment-6350 Some people also have most important things in life to do, other than read up (however quick this mae be) on whats the 'right' way to google/go to a site. The majority of web users haven't grown up with the web, search terms, or html code, and frankly i cna see why it is just another techology that gets in their way (partly). That said, it is a silly, silly mistake! Some people also have most important things in life to do, other than read up (however quick this mae be) on whats the ‘right’ way to google/go to a site.
The majority of web users haven’t grown up with the web, search terms, or html code, and frankly i cna see why it is just another techology that gets in their way (partly).
That said, it is a silly, silly mistake!

]]> By: Bryan http://www.wisdump.com/webmastering/overestimating-users-knowledge/comment-page-1/#comment-6349 Bryan Tue, 03 Oct 2006 17:42:59 +0000 http://wisdump.com/?p=254#comment-6349 Wow, who would have thunk a note posted would spur an actual post by you Paul. That is damn cool your traffic experienced a spike. Maybe after some time has passed and ChaCha has experienced some better stability, you could do an honest writeup (like you often do) about our service. Wow, who would have thunk a note posted would spur an actual post by you Paul. That is damn cool your traffic experienced a spike.

Maybe after some time has passed and ChaCha has experienced some better stability, you could do an honest writeup (like you often do) about our service.

]]> By: Scrivs http://www.wisdump.com/webmastering/overestimating-users-knowledge/comment-page-1/#comment-6348 Scrivs Tue, 03 Oct 2006 15:07:11 +0000 http://wisdump.com/?p=254#comment-6348 Damn, that actually makes perfect sense. Damn, that actually makes perfect sense.

]]> By: Martin Ringlein http://www.wisdump.com/webmastering/overestimating-users-knowledge/comment-page-1/#comment-6347 Martin Ringlein Tue, 03 Oct 2006 14:55:43 +0000 http://wisdump.com/?p=254#comment-6347 My fiancé does this, so I called her out on it and asked, WHY? She made a perfectly valid point – Google.com is her homepage and the input field is conveniently located eye-level and center of the browser; making it the first logical place to start. She says often times it saves her time, if she misspells the domain or isn’t even sure of the URL – Google returns back the obvious location she most likely intended. She might not be using the application correctly, but she finds it both convenient and useful. My fiancé does this, so I called her out on it and asked, WHY? She made a perfectly valid point – Google.com is her homepage and the input field is conveniently located eye-level and center of the browser; making it the first logical place to start. She says often times it saves her time, if she misspells the domain or isn’t even sure of the URL – Google returns back the obvious location she most likely intended.

She might not be using the application correctly, but she finds it both convenient and useful.

]]> By: Sam @ MindSmack.com http://www.wisdump.com/webmastering/overestimating-users-knowledge/comment-page-1/#comment-6346 Sam @ MindSmack.com Tue, 03 Oct 2006 14:02:43 +0000 http://wisdump.com/?p=254#comment-6346 Intriguing search app. I like it. Interactivty is the key. Intriguing search app. I like it. Interactivty is the key.

]]> By: Lode http://www.wisdump.com/webmastering/overestimating-users-knowledge/comment-page-1/#comment-6345 Lode Tue, 03 Oct 2006 13:31:06 +0000 http://wisdump.com/?p=254#comment-6345 That's what surprised me the most about the AOL search data that was released last summer. The top ten searches: google 154219 ebay 66072 yahoo 59550 yahoo.com 44268 mapquest 41536 google.com 36583 myspace.com 36308 myspace 33336 www.google.com 19485 www.yahoo.com 19090 All of them are either the exact url, or the url minus -.com I guess most users are just stupid... That’s what surprised me the most about the AOL search data that was released last summer. The top ten searches:

google 154219
ebay 66072
yahoo 59550
yahoo.com 44268
mapquest 41536
google.com 36583
myspace.com 36308
myspace 33336
http://www.google.com 19485
http://www.yahoo.com 19090

All of them are either the exact url, or the url minus -.com

I guess most users are just stupid…

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