The Myth of “It should be usable

with no training”

Elizabeth Buie Senior UX Consultant

@ebuie

wearesigma.com - @wearesigma

“It should be usable with no training.”

We hear that a lot.

But is it valid?

Sometimes.

Perhaps even often.

But not always.

!"

Let’s look at some exceptions.

International Space Station

OK, so that one has very few users.

Flight simulator (partial) for pilot task training

Weather forecasting

Those have a few more.

Next time you fly, think about this —

Air traffic control

More than 47,000 airports worldwide.

How many controllers?

Three differences Complex domains

Workers have a lot to understand 

Complex tasks Users have a lot to learn about what to do and how 

High risk Cost of errors is very high, even death

A

B

C

da Vinci remote surgical system Addenbrooke Treatment Centre

Would you want your operation done by a

surgeon who hadn’t been trained on the system?

I didn’t think so.

What’s the real point?

It should be usable with no

unnecessary training.

Caution:

This does not mean…

…address UX problems with training…

This does not mean…

…address UX problems with training… !"

Thank You! Any questions?

wearesigma.com - @WeAreSigma