THIS MANIFESTO 'HIT A NERVE'
One reader's useful suggestion: Promote industry benchmarks for usability
''A computer user's manifesto'' (Technology & You, Sept. 28) invited readers to comment on the effort by IBM researcher Clare-Marie Karat to prod the industry into designing easier-to-use computers. The responses numbered in the hundreds. Here are some excerpts:
If cars were like computers, we wouldn't be driving at 100 miles per hour or more. We would be turning the crank and trying to get someone at a help desk to explain how to fix the engine. We need the manifesto now!
Dan JohnsOn
Ridgewood, N.J.
Your recent column really hit a nerve. In the rush to computerize the world, the unreliability of computers is glossed over. When was the last time you had to reboot your TV in the middle of a show? (I worry about the marriage of TV and computers. Somehow, I can't imagine my Dad sitting patiently while he has to reboot WinHDTV 2002 in the middle of a Nebraska football game. ''Honey, we have a GPF on the TV OS; I think we need a new TCP/IP stack. What version are we using? Hurry, I think the Huskers are going to score!'')
Steve Begley
San Francisco
I agree that something along the lines of the User's Bill of Rights is a good guideline for manufacturers to follow when designing products. I caution you, however, not to oversimplify the solution to a problem that is not quite so simple. You mention, as an example, making the interface as easy to use as a toaster. The reason a toaster has an easy-to-use interface is that it performs one simple function: toasting anything that fits in the slots. If it doesn't fit in the slot, you can't toast it, and logically, if you design a toaster with adjustable-width slots it will become harder to use.... A computer is not that simple.
Bill Dwyer
Bethpage, N.Y.
My No. 1, 2, and 3 pet peeves are the jargon used by both manuals and software ''help'' guides. They're no help at all to a layman.
Another problem is the technical-support staff at the other end of an 800 line: Always unfailingly patient and polite, they never explain why they are asking you to perform mysterious actions. The sole exception is Netscape, which has a prompt, jargon-free E-mail service for baffled users.
Nancy MacRae
Schellsburg, Pa.
My favorite unusable piece of software is MS Word. I am convinced that every usability issue in the world of computing is somewhere wrapped up in this piece of software.... What starts off as a simple, functional program is all of a sudden transformed into a bloated behemoth with more user dead ends than can be counted in a normal lifetime.
Dan MacKay
Kingston, Ont.
I am the owner of a small hardware and software company, and I must say that I entirely agree with the 10 rules listed. To quibble a bit, I would modify Rule No.2 to read: ''The user has the right to easily install and uninstall software and hardware systems.'' Have you ever tried to uninstall Explorer 4.0 and Outlook Express from Windows 95?
Noel Henrot
Ciplet, Belgium
Having been an information-technology project manager in the Navy and now a civilian senior systems analyst/integrator, I have experienced exactly the kinds of frustrations you cite. However, while both IBM and Microsoft would be loath to admit it, a system that meets your listed requirements already exists: the Macintosh.
My sister on the West Coast didn't buy a Mac; she bought a souped-up Compaq. Her calls usually start with: ''Help! It gave me this error. What does that mean, and why is it crashing?'' I have heard from her more in the past six months than in the past 15 years combined.
Verlyn Hays
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Our industry already uses performance benchmarks religiously. How about usability benchmarks? They could be based on quantitative data from human-factor studies and end-user surveys, as well as qualitative analyses. Meaningful measurements, such as ''average installation time,'' aren't hard to measure. The promotion of such benchmarks would provide a real incentive for manufacturers to focus and compete on usability.
John R. Chang
Carnegie Mellon School
of Computer Science
Pittsburgh
Karat's ''manifesto'' brings an old marketing adage to mind: When a person goes to a hardware store to buy a drill, they don't want a drill, they want a hole. When I turn on my computer, I want a letter, memo, or revenue projection.
Mark Allen
Olympia, Wash.
Computer systems are asked to do so much that they're necessarily extremely complex. And the more complex a system, the harder it is to make it reliable and simple to use. I'd like to think a better product would triumph over aggressive marketing. But the success of Microsoft's Windows operating system over Apple's Mac OS suggests I'm wrong.
Michael Diehl
Glendale, Calif.
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