Replies: 4 comments
You know that something is wrong when you need to post information like this. IBM keeps squeezing Lotus more and more. I would not be surprised if Lotus eventually goes away, at least in terms of branding and marketing. What do you think?
Posted by John S. Rhodes @ 11/27/2001 12:41 AM EST
I'm perplexed as to why there are such instructions in the first place. My philosophy is that if properly designed, no instructions are necessary ('specially in terms of how to search or browse for stuff). Am I wrong to think this?
Posted by Francis @ 11/27/2001 10:32 AM EST
Francis wrote:
"if properly designed, no instructions are necessary ('specially in terms of how to search..."
I think that depends upon how powerful your search tool is. If you want to add wildcarding capabilities, for example, the availabilty of help as to what symbols mean what is really important to usability.
I believe that, for searches, no instructions should be necessary to search at a basic level. Advanced search capability, which comes with a defined syntax, etc. should be available for those who want it, along with the necessary help.
If you design a search so that no instructions are ever necessary, you are removing a lot of the potential functionality. That doesn't necessarily make it "properly designed".
Posted by David Tallan @ 11/29/2001 11:53 AM EST
David, I agree. It really depends on how powerful the search tool is.
Posted by Francis @ 11/29/2001 01:28 PM EST