CLASSIFYING USERS: A HARD LOOK AT SOME CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES

Rosson believes that, theoretically, user classifications are useful, but the sheer complexity of finding the relevant factors on which to categorize users in a way that is helpful to the designer makes the process impractical. Prior experience, the most often cited classification factor, is useful only to a limited extent in allowing designers to predict behavior with a system. Moreover, the situation is a moving target because the experience profiles of individuals are constantly changing.