Graphics vs Text

[Evelyn Lee Barney]

I find it much too easy to assume someone knows where a particular option is.  Is it a drop down?  If so, under which category?  Is it a button? If so, how does one access the toolbar with that button?  The question, then, is which is a more elegant description?  Is it a graphic, a screen shot, or a some text and symbols?  When a person is under the pressure of trying to learn a new application, even the most obvious destinations, such as File, Edit, or View, may seem frustrating to find.  

One out of three users seems like a lot of frustration to me, even if an error is easily reversible. 

Just my novice opinion.

Ev

>> For instance ...
>>
>> Many software option windows have settings where a user is
>> doomed if they make a simple mistake.
>>
>> So I enter in an example of a correct setting and throw in
>> the screen shot.