[Hidden-tech] Cognitive slant of software

[Roger Williams]

>>>>> Shel Horowitz <shel at frugalfun.com> writes:

  > I like that Roger pointed out the cognitive framework...  I've started to
  > use Apple's Pages... it thinks about how a writer (moi) might approach
  > design, rather than how a designer would do it.

Yes, that was a point that I made in the original thread about switching from
Word to Pages as part of moving from a PC to a Mac.

You understand Word's cognitive style as well as anyone.  It is good, in that
it allows anyone to write a document that includes information in almost any
format, which encourages the inclusion and analysis of all relevant data.

My criticisms are as a technical writer from the standpoint of document design.
Word actively dumbs down the design sensibilities of its users, and makes it
frighteningly easy for the normal business user to create bad documents.
Because users are encouraged to fiddle with the minutiae of formatting at
every step, users are forced to focus on appearance instead of content.

-- 
Roger Williams <roger at qux.com>
Chief Technical Officer, Qux Corporation
433 West Street, Suite 8, Amherst, MA 01002, USA
Tel +1 413 253-6400 * Fax +1 508 302-0230 * GSM +1 508 287-1420