Interface users question, answer prompted questions

Tots to Teens is a catalog retailer specializing in children's clothing. A project has been under way to develop a new order entry system for the company's catalog clerks. The old system had a characterbased user interface that corresponded to the system's COBOL underpinnings. The new system will feature a graphical user interface more in keeping with uptodate PC products in use today. The company hopes that this new user interface will help reduce the turnover it has experienced with its order entry clerks. Many newly hired order entry staff found the old system very difficult to learn and were overwhelmed by the numerous mysterious codes that had to be used to communicate with the system.

A user interface walkthrough evaluation was scheduled for today to give the user a first look at the new system's interface. The project team was careful to invite several key users from the order entry department. In particular, Norma was included because of her years of experience with the order entry system. Norma was known to be an informal leader in the department; her opinion influenced many of her associates. Norma had let it be known that she was less than thrilled with the ideas she had heard for the new system. Owing to her experience and good memory, Norma worked very effectively with the characterbased system and was able to breeze through even the most convoluted transactions with ease. Norma had trouble suppressing a sneer when she heard talk of such things as icons and buttons in the new user interface.

Cindy was also invited to the walkthrough because of her influence in the order entry department. Cindy has been with the department for just one year, but she quickly became known because of her successful organization of a sick child daycare service for the children of the department workers. Sick children are the numberone cause of absenteeism in the department, and many of the workers could not afford to miss workdays. Never one to keep quiet when a situation needed improvement, Cindy has been a vocal supporter of the new system.

Drawing upon the design principles presented in the text, describe the features of the user interface that will be most important to experienced users like Norma.

Drawing upon the design principles presented in the text, describe the features of the user interface that will be most important to novice users like Cindy.