[IxDA Discuss] keyboard shortcuts + contextual menus

Mon Jul 24 18:49:45 PDT 2006

Oleh,

Thank you for that very educated and cited reply. I don't think we  
really need to get attitudes in this discussion group. Also while  
citing historical references is helpful, times are a changing and  
everyone and I mean everyone does things differently. Just as we all  
act, contribute and interact differently, we also have differences in  
our professional opinions. This is why people hire us, to solve  
problems, and look at things from many angles. There is no formula  
that solves every problem. Well maybe if its a mathematical equation,  
and even if so, there is more than one way to "skin a cat".

I also think the group might like to know that in the time that I  
have used my Mac, I know about 5 total keyboard short cuts, and I'm  
doing just fine.

Thanks,
Anthony

On Jul 24, 2006, at 7:48 PM, Oleh Kovalchuke wrote:

> [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted  
> material.]
>
> Jack,
>
>
>
> I would like to admit the crucial mistake in my previous reply to  
> you: I
> have misunderstood you - you were not arguing with my description of
> motivation for the "Slackers", you were referring to the 'Power  
> Users'.
>
>
>
> In my original message I have mentioned that self-esteem could be the
> motivation behind memorizing the keyboard shortcuts for 'Power  
> Users'. I
> wrote:
>
>
>
> "*Decision to design for shortcuts should take into account user  
> background.
> For instance, mastery of shortcuts can be used to build self- 
> esteem. As one
> learns shortcuts, he might claim membership in the exclusive group  
> of the
> 'Power Users' (instant three-prong boost to self-esteem via authority,
> scarcity and social proof). 'Engineers' (personality type) love  
> shortcuts.
> Accountants, Writers, power plant Operators (occupations)  
> satisfice, and
> would rather spend time doing accounting, writing, power plant  
> operating -
> the tasks, which extend far beyond the tool, instead of attempting to
> memorize shortcuts within the tool.*"
>
>
>
> You, on the other hand, argue that keyboard mastery is goal good  
> enough to
> justify life-long study; no further motivations to learn should be  
> implied,
> thank you very much... Well, if that were true, why not give people  
> any
> gadget at all and they will happily spend the rest of their very  
> short lives
> exploring it because it is right there, in front of them to master.  
> Why
> would we need to design for interaction at all?
>
>
>
> I certainly would like to differ with this position. I strongly  
> believe that
> people, including 'Power Users' do have other reasons to learn the  
> stuff
> they do aside from the sheer challenge of complexity of the task at  
> hand.
> Achieving high social status in their niche is very much one of those
> reasons, if only to bring more little 'Power Users' in this world.
>
>
>
> So the *real* question I would like to ask you is this: In your  
> opinion,
> what makes people productivity-minded?
>
>
>
> By the way, my references are Maslow's pyramid of needs, Cialdini's
> psychology of influence and Dawkins et al evolutionary psychology.  
> Could you
> provide me with yours so I will not spend the rest of my life  
> studying the
> unnecessary complexity of human psychology?
>
> -- 
> Oleh Kovalchuke
> Interaction Design is Design of Time
> http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm
>
>
>
>
> On 7/24/06, Oleh Kovalchuke <tangospring at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>  Hello Jack,
>>
>> Well, I think if you don't crack up at least one person, then the  
>> message
>> is not worth writing, don't you agree? Thanks in turn for your  
>> thought
>> provoking message - those are to be treasured.
>>
>> You make two curious points.
>>
>> First you argue that productivity-minded people would find speed  
>> desirable
>> and beneficial:
>>
>> *"...productivity-minded people seek to constantly [learn X - OK]  
>> because
>> ... it ... yields ... speed."*
>>
>> It is true indeed that speed of task performance *often* leads to  
>> higher
>> productivity for that particular task. However, the point I was  
>> trying to
>> make in my message is that Productivity is multilayered concept,  
>> it has
>> different meanings depending on user goals (speed of particular task
>> performance could be only one of those goals, but not necessarily  
>> primary
>> goal), or to rephrase it: " *Not all people are productivity- 
>> minded*". I
>> believe that design should take into account considerations of
>> nonproductively-minded people.
>>
>> You second point is on the scope of applicability of UCD/GDD,  
>> namely at
>> which cut-off point you stop thinking about user goals and begin  
>> to "just do
>> it!":
>>
>> *"You perceive, in the matter of software keyboard support, issues  
>> of*[motivation due to creativity and proficiency, AKA self- 
>> actualization and
>> self-esteem - this is what I wrote in my original message - OK].  
>> *And all
>> this time I thought it was simply that productivity-minded people  
>> seek to
>> constantly add to their keyboard repertoire because its precision is
>> unconditional* [their motivation is reliability and usability -  
>> OK] *"*
>>
>> This second point is more interesting to argue because it is only  
>> once
>> removed from the "just code it" approach, the all-too familiar  
>> attitude in
>> the current software development environment.
>>
>> To me UCD/GDD is more than simply a collection of useful usability
>> guidelines. There are many examples where consistent application of
>> guidelines, without knowledge of their origins has been  
>> counterproductive in
>> unanticipated context. This is why I begin to design with a  
>> concept, and
>> attempt to take into account user motivations. Once I have the  
>> concept of
>> user interaction, maintaining user centered approach becomes quite
>> effortless even in the small matters of shortcut implementation.
>>
>> Do I agonize over id/ego/superego conflict when I think about  
>> which hot
>> key to use in my design? Not really. Might I consider user  
>> motivations to
>> learn and his cognitive limitations, when I think about adding
>> effort-demanding interaction to the design I make? You bet.
>>  --
>> Oleh Kovalchuke
>> Interaction Design is Design of Time
>> http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm
>>
>>
>>
>>  On 7/21/06, jackbellis.com <jackbellis at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted
>>> material.]
>>>
>>> Oleh, you crack me up.
>>>
>>> Let me see if I've got this right. You perceive, in the matter of
>>> software
>>> keyboard support, issues of class struggle and id/ego conflict? I
>>> thought I
>>> was creative... but this is profoundly imaginative. (You don't  
>>> have your
>>>
>>> father wrapped in duct tape and locked in a closet, do you?)
>>>
>>> And all this time I thought it was simply that productivity-minded
>>> people
>>> seek
>>> to constantly add to their keyboard repertoire because its  
>>> precision is
>>> unconditional, and it therefore yields several benefits, speed among
>>> them.
>>>
>>> -Jack
>>> www.workAtHomeWednesday.com <http://www.workathomewednesday.com/>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Oleh Kovalchuke" < tangospring at gmail.com>
>>>
>>>> ... mastery of shortcuts can be used to build self-esteem. As one
>>>> learns shortcuts, he might claim membership in the exclusive  
>>>> group of
>>> the
>>>> 'Power Users' (instant three-prong boost to self-esteem via  
>>>> authority,
>>>> scarcity and social proof).
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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