[Koha-devel] User choice

[Thomas Dukleth]

[Subject changed for different context.]

Reply inline:


Original Subject: Re: [Koha-devel] Subject tracings

On Thu, February 24, 2011 12:53, Nicole Engard wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 7:39 AM, Paul Poulain
> <paul.poulain at biblibre.com>wrote:
>
>> We have made a development for Nimes public library that is related to
>> this too.
>>
>> You can see the result here :
>> http://cat-bib.nimes.fr/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=84738
>> click on an author or a subject. A popup is spawn, letting the user
>> specify better how he want to jump.
>>
>


1.  COMPLEXITY AND SOPHISTICATION.

> While that is cool, I'd argue that it's too complicated for your average
> library user.

More contextual clues to usage such as more explicit but still very brief
description at the top of the pop-up window might be helpful.

The feature is no more complicated than similar navigational aids used by
many online retailers who would not be using such features if they
retarded sales.  An important difference is that online retailers using a
similar feature provide all users with multiple means to access different
navigational functionality.  Such retailers have a form in one part of the
user interface and mere links in another part.

The BibLibre contextual subject selection feature is more than cool for my
preferences.  Yet, the feature is much less complicated/sophisticated than
a semi-functional mock up which I had posted in the Koha wiki five years
ago.  I had to remove my semi-functional mock-up from the wiki because it
relied on embedding too much HTML and CSS content into the wiki page to
fight the fact that wikis are not designed to show general purpose HTML.

I like the fact that BibLibre have implemented a feature which Koha should
have had years ago.  Koha would have had many such features years ago if
Joshua Ferraro had not continually claimed that such features were too
complicated for the average library user.  What Joshua had really been
expressing to me is what others have said about various proposals for
adding some sophisticated features to Koha: that they did not think that
such features could be successfully marketed to their customers nor help
find additional customers.  I am pleased that people at libraries such as
Nîmes are helping to correct some false presumptions by not being silent
about meeting all their user's needs and even sponsoring such good
features for everyone.


> If we went that way it should be a system preference so
> that
> it's not the only way to do a subject search.


2.  USER CHOICE.

I agree that the contextual subject selection feature is not the only way
to do a subject search.  Yet, using a system preference to provide only
one of multiple alternatives to all users would have the effect of
providing the ultimate users only one way to do something.  Only the
people at the library administering the system preference would then have
a choice.

Either/or choices controlling software behaviour should be avoided to the
extent that they can be.  Choices controlling software behaviour should
also be as widely distributed as possible.

Every library has a diverse set of users irrespective of whether people
running the library recognise that diversity.  As a characteristic of that
diversity, some people's preferences may never be revealed to the
librarians.  Some people may never communicate to librarians about how
well or poorly the software serves their preferences.  Some people will
never participate in surveys.  Usage logs provide no information about
features which have not been implemented or have never been developed.

Libraries should be able to serve all of their users equally but not by
forcing the same preferences on everyone.  The most sophisticated and
least sophisticated users may all be readily able to use the simplest
features.  Yet, we do not have to provide only one option to all users. 
Furthermore, forcing the least degree of sophistication on everyone
impairs not only people who are readily prepared to use some sophisticated
feature but also retards people who are currently unprepared by preventing
the unprepared from having the opportunity to learn.


2.1.  IMPLEMENTING USER CHOICE.

Users should have a means to specify their own preferences at query time
and as a user preference default overriding any default set as a system
preference.

[...]


Thomas Dukleth
Agogme
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