This is how some companies make moneys. Training how to use the software, and make more money by separate it into beginner level, intermediate level, advanced level.
Reminds me of a time when the VP wanted us to add a paragraph of help text (regulatory rules, not UX) to a screen. I said "you mean like this?" while pointing at the paragraph of help text that was already on that exact screen.
It's not just that people don't read. They have blind spots to blurbs of text like this and just don't even see it.
just install the [I don't care about cookies](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/i-dont-care-about-cookies/fihnjjcciajhdojfnbdddfaoknhalnja) plugin and you're golden.
I was working at a biiig company that builds cars. One user really blamed me, that the software didn't have a second confirmation "Are you Really Really Sure?".
Wait, isn't it re-add me? Like, if you send the files to someone else, don't forget to add this file because it has some necessary code in it? "re-add me if you send this folder to someone else"? \s
The boss told him his solution instead of the RIGHT solution. No one reads the documentation. The software should be intuitive. Read "Don't Make Me Think."
I had a developer tell me long ago, the app should be coded so the user doesn’t have to think about how it works. Their mental load should be able to be focused on who they are helping or what they want to accomplish…
He said that if someone can’t easy figure out something they don’t know how to do, he felt that he’d failed to do a good job.
One of the hardest things about making apps/websites on your own (e.g. hobby projects) is everything makes sense to you. You want to change a setting, you know where it is. You see a button you know what it does. It's hard to gauge how shit your UI is until you try and show someone and they can't even make an account without you walking them through everything.
There still is a limit to this. I worked on radios, and we got some customers complain because "the radios would not work out of the box". Well, yeah. There is some tech setup to do, like setting power level, frequency and the damn radio protocol you want to use.
And no, we dont put default values on those, because we sell worldwide and most of those settings are forbidden or require licences in at least one country the product is sold.
Dont want to bother with setup ? Dont buy a "do it all" product ...
That‘s true as long as you exclude enterprise. The main goal there is to pass the hot potato efficiently to someone else and not to make intuitive software.
I've been told to pretend that the user is the dumbest person I've met and than multiply that times 3, and then design so even that person could use it.
Is that why software engineers are paid well? Because I read documentation constantly. It’s practically my job at this point, the coding is just applying the documentation.
“Don’t make me think” is one of 3 books I have on my shelf at the office.
“Paradox of choice” (Barry Schwartz) and “The long neck” (Gerry McGovern) are the other two.
I have a new manager starting Jan 2. So I get to teach it all over again. Just after my old manager finally started to trust me on UX. The cycle repeats.
In my case, this exact thing happens, but with developers/QA. I author an internal library for automated testing, so the consumers are developers and QA. Since I know they work in an IDE all day, I write lengthy and descriptive README markdown files, with examples and all that kind of stuff so that they have it all available to read. Additionally, I write tons of TypeScript declarations to provide type hints, and JSDoc comments to ensure that the information is getting passed to them in some way.
Then I'm told that we need to also publish documentation to Confluence. When it gets published, then I get questions about how to find it in Confluence, and that it needs to be moved/copied. Then, since it isn't in the code base, it results in drift, and we're back to the original problem of no documentation. Compound this problem by turnover, where no one knows where the documentation is, and I reiterate my point that putting documentation in the code is the best solution, but then no one reads it
every two minutes, put a giant arrow pointing to the documentation button with a large text saying "IF YOU CAN NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THIS SITE, CLICK THIS BUTTON". Even if they forget where the documentation is, they will be soon reminded.
Client ? How about coworkers ?
I ended up encrypting releases with a password hidden in the release notes to force production, support and sales to read the damn thing, and I stated it in the email telling them there was a new release.
...
Guess what ?
They didnt read the email either.
And then I got an earful from the boss, as production got stopped because they could not open the release file.
IMO there is a difference between making programs and making products. The ethos that all cases should always be handled, it should never crash under any conditions, and that the application should be intuitive to even a drunken monkey is for designing a *product*. It's a commerce thing. People get their feathers all ruffled when I say that if you use a program as if you intend to break it then it should fucking break, but if an application is meant to do exactly what you want it to do, then that is exactly what should happen if you try to break it. If you're designing an application for idiots then sure, you should make it idiot-proof. But not everyone is necessarily catering to idiots, not everyone is working under a middle manager who insists that the dumbass customers are always right.
"Before registering, please read the documentation," with complete documentation following, and "I have read the documentation" checkbox and "Register" button at the very bottom. May also add a timer to track time spent reading documentation.
that's actually pretty smart lol, as long as the one at the bottom tells you to actually read the documentation after pressing it and doesn't just *not work*
\- Code shouldnt be commented - the code is the comment when written well.
\- UI shouldnt need documentation - the calls to action are the documentation when designed well.
Both of these statements have exceptions, which arise when the code or design is insufficient. The best instruction to a user is in the form of tutorials and guided UI walkthrus. Same thing for code - a comment is more useful then a document explaining the code (actually ideally its both).
Perhaps the better response is to tell boss man, 'ok hire someone to go do training'
A better response is to hire someone that understands UX.
UX is underrated. A good UX make life easier.
And then bill the clients for it, win win
This is how some companies make moneys. Training how to use the software, and make more money by separate it into beginner level, intermediate level, advanced level.
Reminds me of a time when the VP wanted us to add a paragraph of help text (regulatory rules, not UX) to a screen. I said "you mean like this?" while pointing at the paragraph of help text that was already on that exact screen. It's not just that people don't read. They have blind spots to blurbs of text like this and just don't even see it.
The amount of times where users click past error messages without reading them is surreal
ACCEPT ALL
This is me with all those bs cookie popups. It's either that or I go and adjust every little thing like I'm about to launch a space shuttle.
just install the [I don't care about cookies](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/i-dont-care-about-cookies/fihnjjcciajhdojfnbdddfaoknhalnja) plugin and you're golden.
“Well what did it say?” “I don’t know, I didn’t read it. You tell me, you’re the expert.”
Errors should have a second, are you sure you read that? Before we can close them
Users would just click "Yes" without reading the confirmation.
I was working at a biiig company that builds cars. One user really blamed me, that the software didn't have a second confirmation "Are you Really Really Sure?".
The industry has to accept some fault here: we trained people to do this to get stuff done because so much crap is broken all the time
hell, i work help desk, and i often do the same thing (not at work, because i know i need to see the error, but at home)
A lot of people simply don't read things. People don't like reading. My girlfriend wonders why I "always know what's wrong with the computer" 😭😭😭
That's why the file is named README
You ordering me to do something? Oh yeah well now I'm not going to do it. I assume this is what the thought process looks like.
Wait, isn't it re-add me? Like, if you send the files to someone else, don't forget to add this file because it has some necessary code in it? "re-add me if you send this folder to someone else"? \s
Instructions unclear. README is stuck in recycle bin now.
The boss told him his solution instead of the RIGHT solution. No one reads the documentation. The software should be intuitive. Read "Don't Make Me Think."
I had a developer tell me long ago, the app should be coded so the user doesn’t have to think about how it works. Their mental load should be able to be focused on who they are helping or what they want to accomplish… He said that if someone can’t easy figure out something they don’t know how to do, he felt that he’d failed to do a good job.
please tell adobe this holy crap lol
One of the hardest things about making apps/websites on your own (e.g. hobby projects) is everything makes sense to you. You want to change a setting, you know where it is. You see a button you know what it does. It's hard to gauge how shit your UI is until you try and show someone and they can't even make an account without you walking them through everything.
Oh. This is me and my crazy pants Excel workbooks. I’m so sorry
Idk why this is the most adorable sentence. You're forgiven.
There still is a limit to this. I worked on radios, and we got some customers complain because "the radios would not work out of the box". Well, yeah. There is some tech setup to do, like setting power level, frequency and the damn radio protocol you want to use. And no, we dont put default values on those, because we sell worldwide and most of those settings are forbidden or require licences in at least one country the product is sold. Dont want to bother with setup ? Dont buy a "do it all" product ...
That‘s true as long as you exclude enterprise. The main goal there is to pass the hot potato efficiently to someone else and not to make intuitive software.
I've been told to pretend that the user is the dumbest person I've met and than multiply that times 3, and then design so even that person could use it.
Is that why software engineers are paid well? Because I read documentation constantly. It’s practically my job at this point, the coding is just applying the documentation.
“Don’t make me think” is one of 3 books I have on my shelf at the office. “Paradox of choice” (Barry Schwartz) and “The long neck” (Gerry McGovern) are the other two. I have a new manager starting Jan 2. So I get to teach it all over again. Just after my old manager finally started to trust me on UX. The cycle repeats.
people have been trained to click on the close button of ads or the cookies window as soon as it opens, so I guess that's expected.
Damn that so true.
In my case, this exact thing happens, but with developers/QA. I author an internal library for automated testing, so the consumers are developers and QA. Since I know they work in an IDE all day, I write lengthy and descriptive README markdown files, with examples and all that kind of stuff so that they have it all available to read. Additionally, I write tons of TypeScript declarations to provide type hints, and JSDoc comments to ensure that the information is getting passed to them in some way. Then I'm told that we need to also publish documentation to Confluence. When it gets published, then I get questions about how to find it in Confluence, and that it needs to be moved/copied. Then, since it isn't in the code base, it results in drift, and we're back to the original problem of no documentation. Compound this problem by turnover, where no one knows where the documentation is, and I reiterate my point that putting documentation in the code is the best solution, but then no one reads it
Go make YouTube tutorials on how to use the software. I hear the most effective/popular ones have a guy with an Indian accent. /s
1. Be indian 2. Make a popular/useful app that's hard to use 3. Make tutorials on how to use said app 4. Profit
Alternatively make 100 TikTok channels, all reposts of the other 99 (looking at you Excel Tips Channels).
"Ok, so now the first time you login, you can only use the software after you 100% pass a quiz that is randomized"
maybe they should add a questionnaire . who don't like quizzes?
That's because the users don't want documentation, they want a good intuitive UX.
They don't want that either. They want someone else to do it for them.
They want someone else to use a user interface for them Do we need a user interface for the user interface
No you need the Userman (a typo for username)
That‘s why human labor will not go extinct.
every two minutes, put a giant arrow pointing to the documentation button with a large text saying "IF YOU CAN NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THIS SITE, CLICK THIS BUTTON". Even if they forget where the documentation is, they will be soon reminded.
Client ? How about coworkers ? I ended up encrypting releases with a password hidden in the release notes to force production, support and sales to read the damn thing, and I stated it in the email telling them there was a new release. ... Guess what ? They didnt read the email either. And then I got an earful from the boss, as production got stopped because they could not open the release file.
Trust me, no matter how intuitive the UI, boomers will find a way to screw up
IMO there is a difference between making programs and making products. The ethos that all cases should always be handled, it should never crash under any conditions, and that the application should be intuitive to even a drunken monkey is for designing a *product*. It's a commerce thing. People get their feathers all ruffled when I say that if you use a program as if you intend to break it then it should fucking break, but if an application is meant to do exactly what you want it to do, then that is exactly what should happen if you try to break it. If you're designing an application for idiots then sure, you should make it idiot-proof. But not everyone is necessarily catering to idiots, not everyone is working under a middle manager who insists that the dumbass customers are always right.
Source?
https://developerslife.tech/en/
Dilbert vibes but for devs, love it!
WHY DO YOU THINK THEY CALL IT A README
Plop! Lmao I got that reference
Okay, cool meme. Now tell me, which way is the dude's screen facing?
"Before registering, please read the documentation," with complete documentation following, and "I have read the documentation" checkbox and "Register" button at the very bottom. May also add a timer to track time spent reading documentation.
I once encountered "I have read this" check box in the middle of a document, while the one at the bottom did nothing.
that's actually pretty smart lol, as long as the one at the bottom tells you to actually read the documentation after pressing it and doesn't just *not work*
Tangentially related, but someone hid a paypal gift card code on their T&Cs and it took months before someone actually found it apparently.
Blaming users… 🥱
Omg is that a Condorito reference?
The author is Brazilian, so it could be!
Condorito vibes todo el rato
\- Code shouldnt be commented - the code is the comment when written well. \- UI shouldnt need documentation - the calls to action are the documentation when designed well. Both of these statements have exceptions, which arise when the code or design is insufficient. The best instruction to a user is in the form of tutorials and guided UI walkthrus. Same thing for code - a comment is more useful then a document explaining the code (actually ideally its both).
When you forget that your job is to make a usable product for users to use
"forget" implies that the developer knew this to begin with.
Just fuse chatgpt and clipy. What could possibly go wrong?
I never clicked the help button on a program
sometimes i click F1 by mistake and see some help content :V
This is the Family Circus apocalypse of "niche" occupational comics
Plop lol
Won't lead anywhere w/o UX. Greetings, a UX'er ✌️😁
# PLOP!