#what users do

[sarahdoesdigital]

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WDIM241 Post 3

The reading this week, aptly titled, "What Users Do," focuses on user behaviors and reasons for those behaviors. As it says, a web designer/developer is scripting a "conversation" that the person will have with the machine, and as such, must consider how to make that flow most easily for the user. To do that, we must consider a variety of things about the user - why they would use it, what they really need, what limitations they might have, how they might best remember things, how much they are willing to learn to use the machine/program, etc. It also suggests doing real research to actually figure it out, rather than resorting to "Everyone is a potential user." While I do believe that idea can apply in some cases, usually it is better to keep the "most likelies" in mind, in part because it can simplify duties, and in part because what works for one person won't necessarily work for another.

The chapter suggests a few types of research to do: direct observation, looking into case studies, checking the results of surveys, and imagining personas to figure out how a person might think (amusingly enough, that last one borders on being a hobby for me, though I'm still frequently wrong about many things). It also describes a variety of things to keep in mind, such as those who can't or don't want to use a mouse, how people like to have things to remind them to do things, how many people are only willing to learn enough to make it work rather than work well, the preference of shortening repetative actions down into automations, and more.