STC Usability SIG Newsletter
Usability Interface

I Bought a PC! - Lessons in Usability

By David Dick, Editor

I purchased a PC for my son (age 14). He’s not a computer geek, yet he insisted that he assemble it himself. I expected him to ask for help but he didn’t. He assembled the PC using a graphically illustrated instruction card. I was impressed not only by his ability to assemble the PC himself but also with the few materials included—everything else was pre-installed. For example:

• Essential software (e.g. operating system, applications, and utilities) is pre-installed.
• There is no bulky installation guide to read. All the important information is printed on an installation card and the rest is on CD-ROM.

Easy? That depends on how you define "easy." The next step of the installation process is to log-on to a web site to register the PC, another site to register the operating system, and other sites to register various programs. Neither the PC nor programs are under warranty unless registered. Technical support will only accept registrations via the Internet.

For these reasons, it’s important to set up the PC near a telephone socket. You will have problems if the nearest socket is in the living room or kitchen and you have chosen to put the PC in the bedroom like I did. I solved the problem with a 36-foot telephone extension cord.

My son managed to crash the operating system, despite the publicity that it cannot crash; leave it to a kid to figure it out. On his own initiative, he found a way to restore the operating system and reinstall the printer, and his favorite programs and games.

PCs have certainly become easier to set-up, and the minor inconveniences are learning opportunities for users.