quote:
Originally posted by mushrooomprince:
You don't get my point. I'm trying to challenge what the writer of that article said when he wrote:
As I said, there is nothing revolutionary about tasks. Any wizard-based programme could be considered task-based, and even command-line applications can be considered task-based.
Basically, a task-based interface means giving a set of explicit choices to the user. For example:
'What do you want to do?
-Write a letter;
-Browse on the Web;
-Listen to music;
-Play a game;
-Organise pictures
Then, the user choses 'play a game'. Then, he gets more choices, like 'What kind of game do you want to play', and so on. While this looks like an easy approach at first sight, it has two major drawbacks:
1- It limits what users can do with their computer.
2- It makes it more difficult for users to learn how their system works.
Many interface designers have the unfortunate habit of overrelying on wizards to make their applications easier to use, but don't bother to actually simply the interface (I've seen this often, and the result is not pretty).
As a result, the user is used to do their work by selecting options, and never learns how computers really works.
So, what if he wants to do something slightly more sophisticated not on the menu, or wants a shorter way to do a certain task than going through the same wizard / contextual menu over and over again? The user eventually has to learn the more refined aspects of the system / software (if such alternatives are available), and since for months, if not years, he has been instructed to select 'send photo to Mike' without knowing what's going on, then he'll have a hard time learning how to open a mail app and send it himself, especially if the designer of the mail app didn't bother to simplify the interface. That is assuming that the user will even have the option of using an interface directly instead of a wizard (or whatever task-based system).
Moreover, since he is used to selecting pre-fabricated options, the user, having developped unhealthy habits from the beginning, won't even think about better ways to get their work done, and will never think outside the box. In fact, they may even be afraid of trying new methods.
On a Mac, the whole process is simplified, in such a way that you never need to learn a more direct, less limiting method than what you're already using, since you've been using it from the beginning. The conceptors of the OS have made an effort to make all options available to the user and easily accessible, and located according to importance, relevance or difficulty.
To sum it up, the Mac makes it easier for
you to control the computer, whereas on Windows (and yes, many Linux distros as well), it's the system that tells you what to do (remember my old sig? 'On Microsoft Windows, system operates YOU!'). Tasks, menus and wizards will never beat flexibility, simplicity and consistency.
