Intuitive Software

Sometimes people describe Software as `intuitive`. They mean to describe that a user is able to use it without prior education. This is nonsense, and here is why:

Intuition is unconscious cognition. It is not innate. It is based on previous experiences. When a developer creates a intuitive piece of software, it is intuitive to them because of their experiences. It is not intuitive to people who do not have the right experiences.

For example, if you have a interface resembling a steering wheel, you might come up with the idea to grab it with the mouse and rotate it - but you only have that idea because you have seen a steering wheel before, probably in your parents car first. Without that idea, you might not come up with it yourself.

The lesson from this is that every design pattern implicitly requires prior knowledge, and you need to evaluate if your users will have that knowledge. That knowledge can be aquired by numerous means:

• Prior art: Microsoft Windows made the window design pattern popular (even if they didn't invent it). Everyone who has used Windows before will know how to move and close a window.
• Skeuomorphism: Make your UI resemble a physical object that is well known. The steering wheel from above, as example. Buttons are a more practical example.
• Explicit Knowledge transfer: All kinds of teaching or education. Supplying a manual. Have a tour explaining the device to the user upon first use.

Yes, this is meant as a hidden stab at the GNOME desktop environment.