Comments on: Dropdown Hotspots: A Solution for Cumbersome Help Topics http://www.gryphonmountain.net/2009/12/dropdown-hotspots-a-solution-for-cumbersome-help-topics/ Technical Communication and Other Writing Topics (by Ben Minson) Thu, 9 Sep 2010 15:59:36 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Peter Grainge http://www.gryphonmountain.net/2009/12/dropdown-hotspots-a-solution-for-cumbersome-help-topics/comment-page-1/#comment-41931 Peter Grainge Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:10:01 +0000 http://www.gryphonmountain.net/?p=813#comment-41931 Thanks Ben. We were of course over egging it a bit but the findings were real and you have found the same; it's more about attitude. It's always right to perform usability tests rather than relying on the findings of others, something could render them invalid for your software. It is also right that findings based on age are analysed as long as age is just one of a number of groups. Thanks for telling us the outcome. Thanks Ben. We were of course over egging it a bit but the findings were real and you have found the same; it’s more about attitude. It’s always right to perform usability tests rather than relying on the findings of others, something could render them invalid for your software. It is also right that findings based on age are analysed as long as age is just one of a number of groups.
Thanks for telling us the outcome.

]]> By: Ben http://www.gryphonmountain.net/2009/12/dropdown-hotspots-a-solution-for-cumbersome-help-topics/comment-page-1/#comment-41846 Ben Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:34:23 +0000 http://www.gryphonmountain.net/?p=813#comment-41846 Whew, I'd better respond here. :) You may be interested to know that the product manager isn't a dadgum whippersnapper. He's in the group that he was concerned about—certainly over the age of 50 himself. I see your point though, and I've read that older folks are picking up things like Twitter pretty rapidly. So even if there were some assumptions about the age group we were talking about, it made a good reason for conducting some usability testing. Results were generally consistent, but just as in any other group, some participants were quicker to grasp what was going on than others. Whew, I’d better respond here. :)

You may be interested to know that the product manager isn’t a dadgum whippersnapper. He’s in the group that he was concerned about—certainly over the age of 50 himself. I see your point though, and I’ve read that older folks are picking up things like Twitter pretty rapidly.

So even if there were some assumptions about the age group we were talking about, it made a good reason for conducting some usability testing. Results were generally consistent, but just as in any other group, some participants were quicker to grasp what was going on than others.

]]> By: Rick Stone http://www.gryphonmountain.net/2009/12/dropdown-hotspots-a-solution-for-cumbersome-help-topics/comment-page-1/#comment-41376 Rick Stone Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:58:58 +0000 http://www.gryphonmountain.net/?p=813#comment-41376 Ouch! So now I find I'm lumped in with others that are viewed as being stodgy, unadaptable, one foot in the grave and the other on a pat of butter just because I'm a year or so past the half century mark/ ;) I agree with all points my fellow Adobe Community Expert Peter made. (Begin creaky voice)Now, GET OFF MY GRASS! - (muttering)dadgum whipper snapper... :) Ouch! So now I find I’m lumped in with others that are viewed as being stodgy, unadaptable, one foot in the grave and the other on a pat of butter just because I’m a year or so past the half century mark/ ;)

I agree with all points my fellow Adobe Community Expert Peter made.

(Begin creaky voice)Now, GET OFF MY GRASS! – (muttering)dadgum whipper snapper… :)

]]> By: Peter Grainge http://www.gryphonmountain.net/2009/12/dropdown-hotspots-a-solution-for-cumbersome-help-topics/comment-page-1/#comment-41370 Peter Grainge Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:01:04 +0000 http://www.gryphonmountain.net/?p=813#comment-41370 Ben It's a good job distance and age separate me from your Product Manager or I might be knocking on his door! Concerned about the older folks is he? Just ask him to step back and remember which generation invented the computer! It's a bit like sex, every generation seems to think they invented it thereby missing the obvious. I hate to be the one to break the news to him but his parents knew something about it before he did. Step back fifteen years. I worked for a bank and computing was still mostly mainframe there but we were planning rollout of Windows (3.1!) to provide relationship management software for managers dealing with high net worth customers. IT were insistent we had to continue using the old mainframe shortcut keys because the older managers would not adapt to this new Windows stuff. I was insistent the old stuff was unintuitive and they would find Windows easier. There as a bit of an impasse so I called a meeting of a mixed age group of these managers and asked IT to attend. I demonstrated what the new system would look like using a Powerpoint mockup of the proposed system. About two minutes in, one of the managers asked what Windows was. It was like a prayer being answered. I explained this would be demonstrated and at the end I would ask him first what he thought of it. For the benefit of your Product Manager, let me emphasise this was a person who really did not know what Windows was about, absolutely no idea. At the end I asked this guy first but everyone said the same. "Give us the Windows way of working, it's obvious, not like the stuff IT give us." I could not supress the smile. In fairness to IT, they accepted the point and we moved on. Age has little to do with it, it is about attitude. I can run rings around some people half my age or younger because I decided this was something for me. There are other things where they can run rings around me because I am not interested in those things. By using your product, the older users have demonstrated they can use a PC and as long as your product follows normal conventions, I am sure your tests will reinforce what I have described. Focus on common sense design and age will be irrelevant. It's easy to confuse the fact that sometimes older people to take a little longer to make a decision with being down to their age rather than being because experience has taught them not to rush in. Most folks over fifty a not gaga! Ben

It’s a good job distance and age separate me from your Product Manager or I might be knocking on his door!

Concerned about the older folks is he? Just ask him to step back and remember which generation invented the computer! It’s a bit like sex, every generation seems to think they invented it thereby missing the obvious. I hate to be the one to break the news to him but his parents knew something about it before he did.

Step back fifteen years. I worked for a bank and computing was still mostly mainframe there but we were planning rollout of Windows (3.1!) to provide relationship management software for managers dealing with high net worth customers. IT were insistent we had to continue using the old mainframe shortcut keys because the older managers would not adapt to this new Windows stuff. I was insistent the old stuff was unintuitive and they would find Windows easier. There as a bit of an impasse so I called a meeting of a mixed age group of these managers and asked IT to attend. I demonstrated what the new system would look like using a Powerpoint mockup of the proposed system. About two minutes in, one of the managers asked what Windows was. It was like a prayer being answered. I explained this would be demonstrated and at the end I would ask him first what he thought of it. For the benefit of your Product Manager, let me emphasise this was a person who really did not know what Windows was about, absolutely no idea.

At the end I asked this guy first but everyone said the same. “Give us the Windows way of working, it’s obvious, not like the stuff IT give us.” I could not supress the smile. In fairness to IT, they accepted the point and we moved on.

Age has little to do with it, it is about attitude. I can run rings around some people half my age or younger because I decided this was something for me. There are other things where they can run rings around me because I am not interested in those things. By using your product, the older users have demonstrated they can use a PC and as long as your product follows normal conventions, I am sure your tests will reinforce what I have described. Focus on common sense design and age will be irrelevant.

It’s easy to confuse the fact that sometimes older people to take a little longer to make a decision with being down to their age rather than being because experience has taught them not to rush in.

Most folks over fifty a not gaga!

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