Actually, what he generally wants is that when presented with a new environment, any reasonably sane person should be able to figure it out without undue stress. So, things that look like they ought to be "on" buttons happen to be "on" buttons, door handles that look like they ought to be pulled don't turn out to need twisting and pushing, and the tea kettle handle is on the opposite side of the spout.
The un-set clock on the VCR is such a cliche because there _are_ so many people who never bothered to figure it out, because they have what they consider to be better things to do. If you're standing in line at an ATM, the last thing you want is for the guy in front of you to spend 5 minutes figuring out the interface - you want it easy enough that your time isn't spent on his learning curve.
And if you want your clock to tell you the weather, I bet you want it to be quicker and more efficient than logging onto a computer to check it, or then turning on the TV to the Weather Channel - otherwise, the tool is simply not as useful.
It's not about not learning anything, it's about everyday tasks being simple enough that you can spend your energy on things you'd rather be doing.
This brings to mind what Eric Raymond refers to as "the Rule of Least Surprise": when designing a tool, make it behave in the least surprising manner possible (for your target user group). Building a car? Install a steering wheel, not a tilt controller unrder the seat; don't switch the accelerator and brake pedals around.
To amplify your VCR example a bit: I have four VCRs, one of which only works as a tuner any more. The clocks are set. But I have to know four different procedures for setting the clock, three different sets of steps for programming them to record a show. I decided it was worth it to me, that it wasn't THAT big a deal to figure it out, but there's no good reason that I should have had to figure it out four times. (Actually, since I have four methods to keep straight, none of them completely 'stick'; I wind up figuring out all four again each time the power goes out or DST starts/ends.)
(no subject)
The un-set clock on the VCR is such a cliche because there _are_ so many people who never bothered to figure it out, because they have what they consider to be better things to do. If you're standing in line at an ATM, the last thing you want is for the guy in front of you to spend 5 minutes figuring out the interface - you want it easy enough that your time isn't spent on his learning curve.
And if you want your clock to tell you the weather, I bet you want it to be quicker and more efficient than logging onto a computer to check it, or then turning on the TV to the Weather Channel - otherwise, the tool is simply not as useful.
It's not about not learning anything, it's about everyday tasks being simple enough that you can spend your energy on things you'd rather be doing.
(no subject)
To amplify your VCR example a bit: I have four VCRs, one of which only works as a tuner any more. The clocks are set. But I have to know four different procedures for setting the clock, three different sets of steps for programming them to record a show. I decided it was worth it to me, that it wasn't THAT big a deal to figure it out, but there's no good reason that I should have had to figure it out four times. (Actually, since I have four methods to keep straight, none of them completely 'stick'; I wind up figuring out all four again each time the power goes out or DST starts/ends.)