Naïve users and the Lotus* interface: a field study

This work has collected and classified persistent errors that naive users make when using the spreadsheet Lotus-123 and argued that conventions used in Lotus can be inconsistent with usage elsewhere in Lotus; inconsistent with used in the broader world of computing; or inconsistent with real-world usage outside computing.

Abstract

Persistent errors that naive users make when using the spreadsheet Lotus-123 have been collected and classified according to their assumed origin. It is argued that conventions used in Lotus can be inconsistent with usage elsewhere in Lotus; inconsistent with usage in the broader world of computing; or inconsistent with real-world usage outside computing. The last two sources of error, while usually neglected in system design, actually account for the majority of errors made. Although most of these errors are situation specific and hard to foresee, once noted their eradication would be relatively easy, often not requiring any change to Lotus's structure but only to surface features of the package.