What the Digerati Know

	Other people can teach you computer applications or you can figure them out for yourself

Learning New Tools

	How do we learn to use new tools?
			Reading the owner’s manual -- chain saw Be taught in their use -- car, bicycle
			Figure them out ourselves -- CD player

Learning New Tools

	How do we learn to use new tools?
			Reading the owner’s manual -- chain saw Be taught in their use -- car, bicycle
			Figure them out ourselves -- CD player
	Software designers wanting you to learn their tool ASAP, try for ‘intuitive’
			Consistent Interfaces -- build on experience
			Suggestive icons -- bypass terminology
			Metaphors -- exploit analogous reasoning

Standard Functionality

	Most applications
	have File and Edit

Standard Functionality

	Most applications
	have File and Edit

What does ‘New’ Mean?

	‘New’ means create a ‘blank instance’
		To understand ‘blank instance’ know that information has properties as well as content which are all stored in a table with a place for everything
		A ‘blank instance’ is simply the structure without any of the content

“Click Around”

	Software designers use standard ideas to make applications intuitive
	To learn a new application, check it out by clicking around
		Take a minute to ...
			Look under all menus to see operations
			Follow the  “…” for menu operations
			Try to recognize what the icons mean

A New Application

	Find:
	consistent
	interface
	icons
	metaphor

Slide 9

“Blazing Away”

	Learn an application fast by trying it
	Beginning with a new instance, assertively try menu items
		Expect to fail and make a mess
		Exit the application, and if you are asked “Save?” reply “No”
		Try repeatedly until becoming familiar

To Learn A New Tool

	Software systems build on a consistent interface, standard metaphors, etc.
		Expect to teach yourself applications
		Do so by familiarizing yourself with the features … “Clicking Around”
		Assertively try out the features, “Blaze Away,” watching what they do
			Be efficient -- stay focused, don’t type a lot when you expect to exit

Differences & Similarities

	Different vendors will produce similar software for the same task
			Superficially, the GUIs use similar features
			Fundamentally, the task largely determines how the software must work … they must be similar

Differences & Similarities

	Different vendors will produce similar software for the same task
			Superficially, the GUIs use similar features
			Fundamentally, the task largely determines how the software must work … they must be similar
	Implications …
			Know one word processor, learn others fast
			SW differences: mostly glitz, convenience
			Don’t accept lousy … switch to other SW

Mac or PC???

	Arguments about which is better, Mac or PC, create only heat, no light
		They are more alike than different
		Any Fluent person can use both

Another Implication

	If SW is similar at its core, computations can be taught without learning a specific vendor’s SW …

Another Implication

	If SW is similar at its core, computations can be taught without learning a specific vendor’s SW … consider text searching and replacement

Replacement

	Two strings are required: search string and substitution string
			Adopt a notation:  search û substitute

Notation Example

	Illustrating the use of the notation
		Using the replacement
		The sentence
		Becomes
		It’s easy to express substitutions

Placeholder Technique

	A common problem … copying text off web often trashes the line breaks

Placeholder Technique

	Formatting is performed by special (non printing) characters ...

Placeholder Technique

			Roses are ¿red¿¿Violets are ¿blue¿¿...
	Deleting the single ¿  deletes them all!

Thinking of the Input

			Roses are ¿red¿¿Violets are ¿blue¿¿...
	Placeholder technique …
			Step 1. Substitute a placeholder for the longer string
			¿¿ û  #
			Yielding
			Roses are ¿red#Violets are ¿blue#…
			Step 2. Next, delete the shorter string
			¿ û e
			Yielding
			Roses are red#Violets are blue#…

Placeholder Replaced

			Step 3. Finally, replace the placeholder with the original long string
			# û ¿¿
			Yielding
			Roses are red¿¿Violets are blue¿¿…
			The intended result!
	Summarizing the placeholder
			longstring û placeholder
			shortstring û e
			placeholder û longstring

Summarizing

	Humans must learn to use tools
			Software designers want you to learn easily
			SW uses consistent interface, metaphors, …
		Teach yourself applications by “Clicking Around,” and “Blaze Away”
		SW for a task must share core features
		Learn app.s independently of vendor