Re: [Pan-users] Feedback wanted: Pan 0.12.90 toolbar

[Carl Wilhelm Soderstrom]

On Tue, Jun 25, 2002 at 05:10:26PM -0500, Jerry Jorgenson wrote:
> What if you made the Icons blue and red Kanji? It wouldn't be any harder
> for English folks to remember, and would be meaningful to an additional
> fair percentage of the user base?

the problem with that is that you've dragged everyone down to the same
level, rather than letting some just come up to the same level as others.
(maybe there's a meaningful Kanji character for 'usenet', but I suspect
there are more people who'd natively understand 'U' and 'E' [or at least
fine them easier to remember], than the kanji characters.)

you start from a situation where *some* people understand the labels, to one
where almost *no one* understands the labels so we *all* have to figure out
what they mean, with the same degree of difficulty.

my (least) favorite example of this, is HP LaserJet 2100 printers. there's 2
buttons on them.. a big button with a light next to it, and a small button
with a triangle on it. there is *nothing* to indicate *what* these buttons
do, and I still don't fully know. (and I'm supposed to be the printer
admin!). I speak American, not Triangle. :) 
a simple label (like 'reset') would go far towards explaining things, and
even if you don't speak the same language, there's a chance you speak a
simliar language, and can guess the meaning.

Carl Soderstrom.
-- 
Network Engineer
Real-Time Enterprises
www.real-time.com