Re: FW: Technologically Challenged

From: michael rees (zedand00@sound.net)
Date: Fri Mar 27 1998 - 21:11:07 EET


Brock Hinzmann wrote:
>
> Although RP can do little to fix directly the challenging
> technological problems described on Jeff's list, the relationship to
> RP is stronger than appears on the surface. The people in his examples
> may appear foolish, but they are genuine customers and they were
> genuinely frustrated by the products they paid genuine good money for.
> The earlier in the design process you can get a physical prototype in
> the hands of users and the sooner the tech writers can get a shot at
> describing how to use it, the sooner you'll find out what us fools
> will do with it and either change the design or change the manual to
> avoid potentially disastrous results. As someone on this mailing list
> used to sign off, (to the effect that) There is no such thing as
> foolproof to a sufficiently ingenious fool. The bottom line to that
> is, however, that nothing you produce is foolproof, you are just
> making a business decision about how close to foolproof you want to
> try to be. And once you build your reputation (and pricing structure)
> on being close to foolproof, you had better stick to it, or the
> competition will eat you alive.
>
> Brock, the Badger
> Technology Navigator

Dear list,

Whats interesting here is that most of the mistakes people (in that
memo) made were appropriate. It is appropriate that a monitor would
receive information as well as give it. What if we studied these
mistakes for what is wrong with the technology not the user? THe
presumption that the user is wrong belies an approach that technology is
more valuable than human experience. Wrong! ITs the user that has made
the computer.

I have seen artists of some brilliance get all of the factual
information wrong, dead wrong. They talk of the scientific method with
complete misunderstanding. Properly approached misunderstanding and
mistake makes for discovery and realization.

It is our right to misunderstand, and misunderstanding is the seed of
growth.

2 cents

-- 
michael rees SCULPTOR 		http://www.sound.net/~zedand00/
1212 w 8th St. Bldg B #2, 	816 753 3020 voice    zedand00@sound.net
KC, Mo 64101			816 753 1542 fax

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