Bridging the gap between what users know and what they need to know A third challenge is to bridge the gap between what users know and what they need to know. Many users don t know how to begin, what to chose in dialog boxes, how to handle crashes, or what to do about viruses. Competing theories include minimalism, constructivist, and social construction, but their efficacy needs study.
Users approach new software tools with diverse skills and multiple intelligences.
Some users need only a few minutes orientation to understand the novelties and begin to use new tools successfully. Others need more time to acquire knowledge about the objects and actions in the application domain and the user interface. Research goals include validated guidance on lucid instructions, error prevention, graphical overviews, effective tutorials for novices, constructive help for intermittent users, and compact presentations for experts. Other researchable topics are easily reversible actions and detailed history keeping for review and consultation with peers and mentors. Reliable evidence from systematic logging of usage and observations of users would help greatly.