I said: I'm already working along these lines, in fact, I'm going one step further, and designing a goal-directed UI, as opposed to a task-directed or an implementation-directed UI.
Michael replied:
I agree heartily that the system needs a goal-based interface, but it should probably also have a task-based interface to compliment that. (Think pull-down menus (task-based) and wizards (goal-based) in the same app.)
Michael,
I just wanted to clarify this aspect of what I'm doing, as that seem to cause people the most trouble understanding.
When I said goal-directed, I meant it in the Alan Cooper sense of the term. Goals are the things that we really want to achieve, and tasks are the things that we have to do to achieve that. The goals will be constant, but the tasks are not. The tasks depend on the available technology and other constraints. If there were easier tasks that still fulfilled my goals, that's good. If there was a way to achieve my goal without performing any tasks at all, so much the better!
A quick example: Say your goal is to get your lawn mowed. Your task may be to go out and do it yourself, but if someone else would do it for you for free, that would be even better. Maybe you don't have a lawn mower? In that case you might have to buy one first. Maybe buy it online, or at a store. Nevertheless, all of these tasks are possible substitutes for each other, but you can only see that, if you're aware of the goal.
That's what I'm trying to do here. Trying to discover our user's goals, so we can find out how to let them do the right tasks at the right time, presented in the right way.
Cooper explains all of this better himself at http://www.chi-sa.org.za/Documents/articles/goal-directed.htm
