

HN flaw:  no discussions with naive computer users. - amichail

How can one build a product that appeals to a huge market without being familiar with what naive computer users want and can understand?<p>Shouldn't HN have discussions involving naive computer users?
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eof
There are many many places to have discussions with naive computer users; HN
is one of the few places where you can have a discussion whose participants
are likely to _not_ be naive, and that is where a large part of its value
comes from.

In order for HN to have discussions with naive users, it would require
frequent visits by naive users, which would be the end of HN.

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amichail
You could have a section of the site devoted to those sorts of discussions.

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zck
Why would they come here? Why would they come back?

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amichail
They could have an impact on the sorts of products that get built.

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zck
What have you done to change in-design products, with no benefit to yourself?
Remember that we're talking about non-techies, who aren't excited by the
latest, shiniest thing around.

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HeyLaughingBoy
Short answer: no, for reasons stated by others.

Longer answer: naive in what way? Yesterday I asked a friend to preview my app
when it was ready. She's probably an example of what you had in mind: mid-40's
Facebook-using iPhone owner who threw her last computer out 10 years ago. But
she's not at all naive in the context of the application: as the office
manager for a small company she's the _perfect_ type of person to evaluate it.

The problem with the question is that non-computer experts (which I expect is
what you mean by naive) don't form a useful enough group by themselves. What
you need is to _understand_ your market and then ask people in that market how
the app should work, show them examples of product, etc. and then you can get
real insight.

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J3L2404
It seems likely that most HN users are familiar with naive computer users,
whether at work or as the tech guru for friends and family, and as such are
painfully aware of what they can understand. What they want is another
question and is too vague to be of much use without specifics. Naive users can
also be impaired users (intoxicated or half-asleep) too. Drink up, we have to
do usability tests later.

