CTO Articles
Published in IT World
December 6, 2005
A Collective Noun for Options
By Sean Mc Grath
I recommend The Collective Nouns page[1] to anyone with 5 minutes to burn on something diversionary today. It is a mixed bag of suggested collective nouns. Some excellent, some less so. A hum of bees. A tilt of windmills. That sort of thing.
If it was up to me, I'd split the site into two sections. (The incorrigible classification gene kicks in again!) I would separate out collectives that have a positive connotation from collectives that have a negative connotation. 'A snap of photographers' is one for the positive collection and 'A pretension of intellects' is one for the negative collection. I'd like to suggest two entries, one positive, one negative for the word 'options;. First, some background...
I am using the word 'option' here in the sense of a selection, a choice. In computing, choices constitute the mainstay of our interactions with our silicon friends. 'Where would you like to save that file?', 'What size font do you want?', 'Do you want to view your e-mail or surf the web?'. So many choices., so little time. All day, every day. It is like ordering lunch from Tom in his Diner and having to select from an infinity of options in order to get a complete meal. It is not accidental that the word 'menu' is used in user interface design.
Some of the options we face when interacting with computers have very positive connotations. It is nice to be able to select where to save our files or what font size to use. However, many of the options are at best distracting and at worst positively stultifying.
Choice is all a matter of context. If I am asked to choose between the Arial and Times Fonts for my report headings that is fine and good as long as I understand what these things are and have a criteria to use in order to make the selection. How about if the computer asks you to choose between diffractive or direct abacination[2]? Or between cubic and zenzizenzizenzic[3] arithmetic? It is likely that you found the latter two choices unhelpful. If a software application asked you to make a selection such as this you would most likely feel exacerbated, frustrated, perhaps genuinely impeded.
I would suggest the word 'delectation' as a positive collective noun for options. A delectation of options occurs in software systems when you are asked to select from a variety of options that you understand and appreciate the value of. The selection process is intellectually delicious as you pick your way through a variety of appealing possibilities.
I would suggest the word 'incapacitation' as a negative collective noun for options. An incapacitation of options occurs in software systems when you are asked to select from a variety of options that you do not understand. Why am I being asked this? What does it mean? Do I care? Should I care? Why can't the machine just get on with it? Why all these abstruse questions? Why all these assaults on my understanding?
In software, the incapacitation can be very, very real. Take Linux for example. Linux is a wonderful world of incredible software. With Linux, options are not things that are in short supply. However, I know a plurality of people who approached Linux only to subsequently back off because there were so many options to chose from at installation time. Options for which there was no obvious criterion to choose one rather than other other. I could relate similar stories for (non-) users of complex applications and (non-) users of on-line shopping sites for computer equipment.
Now here is the important point about options in IT systems. If the options required to install/operate/procure a system require knowledge that can only easily be gained by running said system, you have yourself an interesting, market stultifying, chicken and egg situation.
I will hazard a universal law for options in the installation/operation/procurement of IT systems. Every choice, for which there is no clear default suitable for the majority of users, intelligible to the majority of users, costs you half of your potential installed base.
[1] http://www.ojohaven.com/collectives/
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abacination
[3] http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-zen1.htm