Hp’s evaluation of the Windows 3.1 Tutorial

Windows 3.1 has a tutorial to learn the basics of the operating system. The tutorial is a remake of the Mac OS tutorial that has been available for years.

• Objectives
• Method for teaching mouse skills
• Teaching basic computer skills
• Usercontrol
• Effectiveness
• Readability
• Conclusion

Objectives

The objectives of the Mac and Windows 3.1 tutorials are the same:

• The learner is able to use the basic mouse skills
• pointing
• clicking
• dragging
• and double-clicking (Windows 3.1 only)
• The learner is able to perform basic tasks
• lunch an application
• arrange windows
• choose commands in the menus
• change the settings in a dialogue
• working with multiple applications at the same time
• quit applications.

Method of teaching mouse-skills

Basically both tutorials use the same approach.

Pointing

Explaining pointing and showing how the mouse moving makes the cursor move on screen. Technically this demonstration fails on faster Windows-PCs. There is no timing for demos in Microsoft’s tutorials.

Making the user point at several places on screen before letting him go further.

Pointing and clicking

Explaining clicking. Showing a hand clicking on a mouse button on screen. Making the user click on several places on screen. In the mac tutorial the user has to click on things he knows in the Microsoft tutorial on places of a picture of a window. The words for this window elements in German are so obscure that most user do not know where to click. Often they find this out by try and error. The not stated objectives of teaching the windows elements fails completely.

Dragging and double-clicking

For dragging and double-clicking (Windows 3.1 only) the tutorials use the same approach as for clicking. It is very difficult for some learners do achieve double-clicking. So I favour the mac philosophy to treat double clicking as a power-user skill and teach it later.

Method for teaching basic computer skills

Basic Computer skills are taught in sections that are all of the same structure:

• Presenting Information.
• Letting the user start a demo, that shows on screen what to do. You only see the screen, you do not see user activities like pressing keys ore clicking the mouse as in the mouse-skill section. Clicks are visualised graphically, because older PCs have no sound.
• Letting the user perform the task. The user can perform the task only the way the computer has asked and showed him. He can not do it in a alternative way. For instance he can not open by the open command in the file menu when the computer has asked him to do it by double clicking.

The user can control the program as follows:

• repeat demos as much as he likes.
• go back and forth in the program.
• exit the sections at any time to an overview page and start an other section or leave the program.

Effectiveness

The objective of the program is to perform standard tasks at the computer. The user does perform this tasks after instruction. The likelyhood that he does it right is high. Due to classic associative learning theory, this is highly effective. The user then works with his computer, where he has to perform the same tasks. If he forgets anything he can go back to the program. The user can not leave the tutorial opened in a window while he does other tasks. This is a disadvantage of the program.

The program also seems to have the objective to teach the user the words for the graphical elements of the Windows user interface. As there is always a demo at hand and no section just with instructions in words the program does not force the user to achieve this goals.

Readability of the program

Simplicity

The sentences are short, but most words are unfamiliar to computer novices. The program fails to tell the user what for all those activities on screen are used. So the simplicity is rather poor for beginners. It is fair for user that are familiar with other operating systems.

Outline and organisation

Good: There is a overview page that can be reached any time. The only thing missing is some information to the user in which topic of the program he is.

Compactness

Much to brief.

Motivating elements

Very view. In the mouse skill section there is nothing funny or captivating. In the basic skill section there are some amusing examples like composing ice cream and giving the amount of calories added.

Overall readability

The readability is good for user having experiences with other operating systems. It is fair for novice users.

Conclusion

The program is very effective to teach basic windows skills for users upgrading from DOS (older PCs without mouse). Novice PC users can use it, but often they need some assistance because of the low grade of readability.