Experimentation is one of the first steps people take when learning new software, whether that is simply "clicking away" then reacting to the change with the software. This is a good method to use when learning how to use new software because the user uses observation and reasoning to create a true interaction.
What if the user wanted to learn or find out something specific about software?
The user may refer to the manuel that came with the software or use other sources of information guides for example the internet.
More difficult softwares to use may come packaged with special features that are not to obvious, too advance, even more complicated software may prove too challenging to learn without support.
The shift key found on a standard computing keyboard is an example of a not to obvious feature and can be used in selecting operations.
Senario: suppose the user had a selection of seperate shapes of different colors and the user wished to select all the red shapes, by holding down the shift key and then using the mouse to select which desired shapes, the user is able to select multiple options opposed to just beable to select one shape. To show that shape has been selected small boxes are then visual around the object which can be used to adjust size, shape and position.
If the user were to select any other object with out holding shift down to begin with all shape that had been previously selected will deselect and the current option choosen would be the only selected option. Also whilst holding down shift and selecting a option that has already been selected will deselect it.
Shift-select means to continue to select the item/items already selected, even by experimenting with new software by "clicking away" or other methods the shift-select is not one feature the user often discovers.
A way to discover new features like this is by learning from others who are already familiar with the complexities of the software and learning by observation, by watching others people are able to attempt to replicate what they saw, an act of copying, the user can then take what they have seen and try to implement this themselves.
Not everybody is capible of doing this however so the next stage would be to simply ask for help, most people are willing to share there expertise.
Principle: Form Follows Function
Computer systems are very similar to one an other expertly engineered and designed to allow the user to used the software based on previous experience on other softwares used in the past. For this reason consistant interfaces and metaphors are used, where old features new features on a new system work the same or similar to new features on a new system.
The next stage from what has just been explained is the form follows function which states the fundamental operations of a software system and the way they work are determind by the task being solved.
A more better way to understand is to say just because two software systems look alike doesnt mean they work the same, but what it means is the same basic operation and those options work similarly.
On the other hand the GUI can differ from one another completely but those differences are superfical, at the core the application defines the operations and how they work.
Similar Applications Have Similar Features
Word processors are a good example of software that may look completely different with many of features however the principle of using a cursor to place text is the same. Microsoft word and Abiword are two examples I have chosen to compare both are capible of deleting text, replacing text, searching text, copying text aswell as the other common actions. Yet the vendors of both did not invent these operations, they are simply the fundamentals in text processing.
The vendors are not able to make better software by changing the fundamentals yet they are still able to compete with there competitors, they do this by adding additional or other nonfundamental that make there software more userfriendly, less error prone, faster and so on.
A example of a feature that not all word processors are able to do, text dragging and repositioning. This feature is benefical but not fundamental and this is what seperates the softwares apart.
Another huge advantage form follows function has it lets people learn how particular computer operations word with referring to any specific software system, learning in this way allows the users to apply the knowledge of any vendor's software. This idea is illustrated using text searching.
Text searching is often called find, it is used by word processors browsers, email and so on Find is usually found under the edit tab menu this also makes logical sense because before one can edit text they must first locate it. Ctrl+F is the find shortcut option for windows other vary.
The name used to identify items to be searched are called tokens and most often those tokens are just letters, number or symbols, these are all characters. Sometimes whole phrases, sentenses or composite items (dates) are searched.
For the purpose of searching, tokens form a sequence this is called search text, and the tokens to be found are called search string.
