February 1998
- OT: Following in the footsteps of JCL Alex Oren
- OT: Following in the footsteps of JCL Nathan Yospe
- OT: Following in the footsteps of JCL Richard Woolcock
- OT: Following in the footsteps of JCL Chris Gray
- OT: Following in the footsteps of JCL coder@ibm.net
- OT: Following in the footsteps of JCL Marc Eyrignoux
- Ada? Andrew C.M. McClintock
- Monthly FAQ posting Koster, Raph
- Monthly FAQ posting Adam Wiggins
- Monthly FAQ posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Chris Gray
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting J C Lawrence
- Monthly FAQ Posting J C Lawrence
- Monthly FAQ Posting Alex Oren
- Monthly FAQ Posting Greg Miller
- Monthly FAQ Posting s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling Lo
- Monthly FAQ Posting Koster, Raph
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling Lo
- Monthly FAQ Posting Greg Miller
- Monthly FAQ Posting Marian Griffith
- Monthly FAQ Posting Greg Miller
- Monthly FAQ Posting Ling Lo
- Databases Shawn Halpenny
- OT: This is a test coder@ibm.net
- OT: This is a test Alex Oren
- Clients and things [Was: OT: This is a test] Matt Chatterley
- Clients and things [Was: OT: This is a test] coder@ibm.net
- Clients and things [Was: OT: This is a test] Matt Chatterley
- MUD Development Digest Dr. Cat
- DBs and Events Greg Munt
- DBs and Events Nathan Yospe
- DBs and Events Greg Munt
- DBs and Events Nathan Yospe
- DBs and Events Felix A. Croes
- DBs and Events Jon A. Lambert
- DBs and Events coder@ibm.net
- DBs and Events s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- DBs and Events Jon A. Lambert
- DBs and Events coder@ibm.net
- (subject missing) Ben Greear
- META: Unsubscribed users dur to bounces coder@ibm.net
- META: Unsubscribed users dur to bounces Adam Wiggins
- Source Code Release Greg Munt
- Source Code Release Ben Greear
- Source Code Release Greg Munt
- Source Code Release Ben Greear
- Source Code Release Greg Munt
- Source Code Release Richard Woolcock
- Source Code Release Ben Greear
- Source Code Release Chris Gray
- Source Code Release Greg Munt
- Source Code Release coder@ibm.net
- Source Code Release Richard Woolcock
- Source Code Release Stephen Zepp
- Source Code Release Jon A. Lambert
- Source Code Release Greg Munt
- Source Code Release Jon A. Lambert
- Source Code Release Greg Munt
- Source Code Release Travis Casey
- Source Code Release Jon A. Lambert
- Source Code Release Jon A. Lambert
- [RESEARCH]MUD articles archive (fwd) Greg Munt
- Socket programming (Was: The impact of the web on muds) Jon Leonard
- Socket programming (was: The impact of the web on muds) Vadim Tkachenko
- Socket programming (was: The impact of the web on muds) Richard Woolcock
- byte-code anyone? Chris Gray
- byte-code anyone? Jon Leonard
- byte-code anyone? Chris Gray
- byte-code anyone? Jon Leonard
- byte-code anyone? Chris Gray
- user-centered design (was Clients) Mike Sellers
At 07:29 PM 2/11/98 PST8PDT, Caliban Tiresias Darklock wrote:
>At 06:20 PM 2/11/98 +0000, coder@ibm.net wrote:
>>
>>A good and well worded point. Define by need, not feature. Its a base
>>rule of design, and is a common problem I face as a contractor with client
>>requirements.
>
> ...
>The end result we are faced with here, which I think faces MUD developers
>even more than it faces me on this project, is how much importance should
>we place on "this is the way we've always done it", and how much should we
>place on "this is the way it makes the most sense"?
A few years ago I had a thriving consultancy as a user-centered designer
(which I closed down to start our game company :) ). The problems you
mention are right at the core of this. (If you're *really* interested in
this, I have a three-day course I've taught at many high-tech firms on
making user-centered design work and that I could pull out of retirement --
for a fee :) ).
Anyway, the most concise way to say this is: design to the user and to
their tasks. Take into account the users' knowledge, abilities, and
experiences, including experience (or lack thereof) with previous versions
or competing products (note however that this is rarely a good reasons to
do things wrong *again*). You need to take a strong look at the users'
task flow, what information they need at any given time, and even what
their work environment is, how likely they are to be trained, to work on
your system when they're distracted, on an occasional basis, etc. You
should be able to decompose the users' task flow (common, critical,
occasional, and error-recovery tasks) into a set of functional diagrams,
which then quickly become a set of windows, screens, or other visibly and
cognitively separate units.
What you'll find if you do this process honestly and well is that the best
parts of previous versions or similar products rise to the top (they are
the best parts *because* they correspond well with the users' model of how
things work); you are able to leave other parts of previous products
behind; new users are able to learn your product faster and with less
expense; existing users are able to use your product right away, and any
re-learning is minimal and easier than they expect it to be; and you have
fewer and less-costly support calls.
And yes, this is true of MUDs at least as much as with most industrial
software products: MUDs present naive users with a bewilderingly wide set
of potential tasks, no set path to follow to complete them, and usually an
impenetrable interface that keeps them focused on how they do things rather
than what they want to do. Not a good situation if you're trying to get
new players. This is true, btw, of both text and graphical MUDs.
Graphical MUDs have the advantage over text here in the same way that the
Mac has an advantage over DOS if you're a naive user trying to do a few
things; but OTOH it's also easier to design a graphical UI which is
impenetrable to *everyone* except the designer. That's part of why
formative usability testing is so important -- but that's for another post. :)
--
Mike Sellers Chief Alchemist -- Online Alchemy mike@online-alchemy.com
"One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others
may despise it, is the invention of good games. And it cannot be done
by men out of touch with their instinctive values." - Carl Jung - OT: Linux g++ Greg Munt
- OT: Linux g++ Ben Greear
- OT: Linux g++ coder@ibm.net
- OT: Linux g++ Shawn Halpenny
- OT: Linux g++ Chris Gray
- OT: Clients Vadim Tkachenko
- OT: Clients Adam Wiggins
- OT: Clients coder@ibm.net
- META: OS wars coder@ibm.net
- META: OS wars Mike Sellers
- Clients Stephen Zepp
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) Brandon J. Rickman
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) Adam Wiggins
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) Chris Gray
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) coder@ibm.net
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) Brandon J. Rickman
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) Mike Sellers
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) Chris Gray
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) Ben Greear
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) Ling
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) Brandon J. Rickman
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) coder@ibm.net
- Moore's Law sucks (was: 3D graphics) Alex Oren
- Version Control (was: DBs and Events) Vadim Tkachenko
- Version Control (was: DBs and Events) coder@ibm.net
- Version Control (was: DBs and Events) Vadim Tkachenko
- Version Control (was: DBs and Events) coder@ibm.net
- Version Control (was: DBs and Events) coder@ibm.net
- Version Control (was: DBs and Events) Jon A. Lambert
- Version Control (was: DBs and Events) s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- Version Control (was: DBs and Events) Raph & Kristen Koster
- Version Control (was: DBs and Events) coder@ibm.net
- Version Control (was: DBs and Events) Felix A. Croes
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Jon Leonard
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) coder@ibm.net
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Vadim Tkachenko
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Chris Gray
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) J C Lawrence
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) J C Lawrence
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Adam Wiggins
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Chris Gray
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Vadim Tkachenko
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Chris Gray
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Vadim Tkachenko
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Chris Gray
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Adam Wiggins
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Chris Gray
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) J C Lawrence
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Chris Gray
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Adam Wiggins
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Ben Greear
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Adam Wiggins
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) Jon A. Lambert
- Net protocols for MUDing (was: Moore's Law sucks) J C Lawrence
- VEIL (was: Clients) Brandon Gillespie
- LDMs (large dynamic maps) was Unique items Mike Sellers
- Describing the environment Stephen Zepp
- Describing the environment Richard Woolcock
- Back on the list Niklas Elmqvist
- Back on the list Chris Gray
- Back on the list coder@ibm.net
- Unique items The Eternal City
- Unique items coder@ibm.net
- Position sorting Adam Wiggins
- Position sorting coder@ibm.net
- Unique items coder@ibm.net
- Unique items Nathan F Yospe
- BOOK: Myer's Silverlock coder@ibm.net
- BOOK: Myer's Silverlock Chris Gray
- BOOK: Myer's Silverlock Adam Wiggins
- Dynamic Loading of Modules (was: Back on the list) Niklas Elmqvist
- Dynamic Loading of Modules (was: Back on the list) Vadim Tkachenko
- Dynamic Loading of Modules (was: Back on the list) J C Lawrence
- Dynamic Loading of Modules (was: Back on the list Jon A. Lambert
- Net protocols for MUDing s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- Net protocols for MUDing Stephen Zepp
- Net protocols for MUDing Chris Gray
- Net protocols for MUDing Adam Wiggins
- Net protocols for MUDing J C Lawrence
- Net protocols for MUDing Shawn Halpenny
- Net protocols for MUDing J C Lawrence
- Net protocols for MUDing Chris Gray
- Dynamic Loading of Modules Niklas Elmqvist
- Senses (was: The MLI Project) s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- bar-time (was The MLI Project) Mike Sellers
- 3D engines for MUDs (was: The MLI Project) Niklas Elmqvist
- 3D engines for MUDs (was: The MLI Project) J C Lawrence
- 3D engines for MUDs (was: The MLI Project) Michael Hohensee
- 3D engines for MUDs (was: The MLI Project) Miroslav Silovic
- 3D engines for MUDs (was: The MLI Project) Michael Hohensee
- Why not compile java into object code? Ben Greear
- Why not compile java into object code? Cynbe ru Taren
- Why not compile java into object code? Caliban Tiresias Darklock
- Why not compile java into object code? Nathan F Yospe
- Why not compile java into object code? Niklas Elmqvist
- Why not compile java into object code? Ben Greear
- Why not compile java into object code? Jon A. Lambert
- Why not compile java into object code? Travis Casey
- Why not compile java into object code? Chris Gray
- Tutorial: Comments on Hand-crafting a compiler Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part I: Introduction Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part II: Expression Parsing Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part I: Introductio Chris Gray
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part I: Introductio s001gmu@nova.wright.edu
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part I: Introductio coder@ibm.net
- MUD Development Digest Dr. Cat
- MUD Development Digest Koster, Raph
- MUD Development Digest Mike Sellers
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part III: More Expressions Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part IV: Interpreters Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part V: Control Constructs Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part VI: Boolean Expressions Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Comments Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part VII: Lexical Scanning Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part VIII: A Little Philosophy Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part IX: A Top View Jon A. Lambert
- Tutorial: Let's build a Compiler! - Part X: Introducing TINY Jon A. Lambert
- Compilers: Toy available for ftp Chris Gray