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Of course, I think of this prime example just AFTER I hit the send
button...
Case in point:
Years ago I was documenting a program for a mobile radio computer. As I
went through the program, I started noticing that the buttons used for
various functions (think DOS application screens) varied from screen to
screen. For example, Print might be F6 on one screen, but F8 on
another, and so on.
I mapped out the functions of each button on each screen, and found that
there was no rhyme or reason to the button selections -- they'd picked
whatever they wanted or was open when they programmed a particular
module for the application.
Programming standards either not being in place or not being followed
aside, this is an obvious problems for an end-user. How can they ever
become comfortable with a program when you change the function of every
button from screen to screen? I sent my mapping chart along with
suggestions for change and a write-up as to *why* the current layout was
a bad idea from the user's viewpoint to my engineering contact. If I
remember correctly, they did make the suggested changes and make the
button functions more uniform across the various product screens.
Carla
Cmartinek-at|zebra*com
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