Re: Locking out "stray input" on a Pocket PC

Your response is the same response that we had, but this was not the
case during our initial usability tests. We had a declarative vocal
response from almost every tester (all between the ages of 65-85) that
1) they could not follow the program with screens changing so often and
2) that color differences and screens made them feel they had broke
something.
We have spent a considerable amount of time attempting to focus in on
how to best present this system, and every developer on this team has
spent an equally considerable amount of time with our projected users
(including much of our own family and staff) to determine what they
want.
I appreciate the suggestion, and it is true that many developers don't
think like the user base, which is why we have kept up such a heavy
regiment for involving the user at every step.


Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/MobileDev] wrote:
the users were impatient about screen loading times, and so would
often press buttons <<

In my humble, (and "elderly") opinion, that's not an "elderly"
problem... that's a programmer problem!

It's because the programmer doesn't have a clue about user issues such
as that it's best to _immediately_ put something on the screen (even if
it's a blank screen) so the user knows that the button press was received...

If you are concerned about the "elderly" perceiving that response...
expand it... go from a white background to a bright green screen.

Then, if you app is going to take it's time, _do something_ on the
screen... a large digit countdown, color changes, something.

When developers of vertical software begin to understand that they need
to think like users instead of programmers, a high percentage of user
problems will fade away.

<end of soap box>

Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices] ...an "elderly" programmer.

.

Loading