Sample user principles - what does the user believe are right and wrong actions?

Principles are less well defined at this stage, but here are some that are based on observation with users of Design-a-Plant. These are sample principles, and it is clear that different users will hold different subsets of these, and others, in practice.

• Principle: User believes it is good to work cautiously and avoid making any errors.

  Users who hold this principle will feel (some form of) shame when they make a mistake, and will be proud of themselves if they complete a set of tasks relatively error-free. This can be important, because for users who hold this to be true, it is inappropriate to praise them for, e.g., getting seven out of ten correct. (In other words, it might be better to agree that it was sloppy work, and then suggest that if the user slows down, it might be possible to get them all right - it is sometimes easier to help a student achieve their own standards then it is to get them to change those standards.)

  Also, the principle can be adopted for students who respond in a particular way to simple questions (e.g., Herman: ``If someone works fast, and gets seven out of ten right, is this good or bad?''; User: ``Bad''; Herman, ``O.K. - I'll remember that. Thanks!'')

  The general idea is that while most everyone would agree that it is important to address the situation when a user is frustrated, this is not always easy to assess: seven out of ten for one student means success, where for another it means frustration.

• Principle: It is right to have fun with with the system

  Most users would fall in this category, rather than the one above. They would not like to see themselves get too serious about the system.

• Principle: It is right to be successful solving problems.

  Not only might users be happy over achieving the goals of problem solving, they might also be proud of themselves for performing an admirable action in doing so.

• Principle: Herman's personality, voice, singing, corny jokes, and cartwheeling across the screen are cool.
• Principle: Long explanations (e.g., of photosynthesis) at inappropriate times (and possibly all times are inappropriate) are wrong and should not be inflicted on the student.

  Herman might benefit from knowing that giving long explanations might make the student angry, even though he might still give the explanation, for other reasons (at least he could appologize!). It might also be possible for Herman to discriminate between a typical student in a typical state, and one that is receptive to a long explanation: it would not be wise to give a long explanation to a student already perceived to be in an angry or frustrated state.