| Just 'cause you can walk the walk doesn't
mean you can talk the talk. And other thing. You can't call everything a thingy.
Please let me explain. IF YOU CALL EVERYTHING A THINGY PEOPLE WON'T KNOW
WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! A user who "walks the walk" might be
a "power user" who knows how to get things done on his or her
computer. However, a good trainer needs something more than just "knowing
how to get things done" A good trainer must also "talk
the talk" accurately and consistently... ALL THE TIME.
Teaching is Communication. Sounds obvious I know. But
we often fail in our attempt to communicate when we "make up"
words in an attempt to get our ideas across. Instead we must learn proper
terminology for the many terms and concepts that we need to talk about,
and we must and use it consistently. Most computer concepts are difficult
enough for users to grasp without having to decipher technical terms, often
used inconsistently by different people. If we want to be
understood, we must adopt (and continually reinforce) standard language.
There are too many words flying around that mean the same thing!
Asking a room full of experienced computer users to refer to the"Task
Bar" or "Menu Bar" and seeing their eyeballs dart all over
the screen in confusion because they have no idea of what's being asked,
may seem amusing at first. It's actually frustrating. Here's a group of
experienced computer users who can't even talk about about what's on their
screens! The reason for this is they never learned the names
of screen elements they continually use throughout the day! If the right
language were used by professionals in training and support, the terms
for these common items would necessarily become commonplace.
On top of the initial reason for the call, users who call a help desk often
have a compounded problem: They can't properly form the question
to ask for help. Nobody is born knowing the names of screen elements;
they must be learned. Technology professionals need to "talk the talk",
properly and consistently. The table that follows offers some common terms
in first column.
Since terminology and standards are ever-changing I welcome any corrections
or suggestions. I don't claim to be an authority! By helping each other
we'll be able to communicate more effectively. Consequently, talking about
this stuff will be less stressful!
|
| CORRECT TERM |
INCORRECT TERM
| EXPLANATION |
| Title Bar |
Blue bar at top of window |
Title Bar contains the name of the program and in some
cases the name of the file currently open within that application program. |
| Menu, Menu Bar |
Words at top of window |
The list of command choices just below Title Bar. |
| Toolbar |
Speed Buttons, Icon Bar, Button Bar |
With few exceptions, this is the standard term for the
item that usually runs across the top of a program's window, just below
the Menu Bar. Some applications have several toolbars that can be displayed
simultaneously. |
| (window) Borders |
edge, side |
A window's border is accessible only when window is in
restored state. |
| Start Button |
Start Bar, Start Menu |
Clicking the Start Button displays the Start Menu. |
| Task Bar |
Start Bar, Status bar, The bar at bottom |
A list of active applications (tasks), usually displayed
at the bottom of the screen in Windows. |
| Status Bar |
|
A bar running across the bottom of an application program,
displaying information about the document you are in and about the state
of the program and certain features within that program. |
| Start (a program) |
Open |
Consistent with the Windows Start button. It's also good
for students to understand that a program is loading into memory
from a hard disk. |
| Install (software) |
Load |
This way, load has only ONE meaning, not two. |
| Exit (program) |
Close |
Consistent with File menu options. |
| Open (document, file) |
Retrieve |
Consistent with File menu options. |
| Close (document) |
Exit |
Consistent with File menu options. |
| Select |
Block, Highlight |
In several word processing programs, there's a feature
called Highlight and it does not mean 'select'.
I think 'block' (noun) adequately describes selected portion
of a document. However, many years ago ,"block" was used as a
verb by WordPerfect DOS users. This is no longer a standard term for this
process of selecting text.. |
| Press, Type, Hold, Tap |
Hit |
No hitting in class, please! |
| Click |
Hit, point and click, click the left mouse button, tap,
etc |
Press and release the left mouse button with no movement
of mouse. |
| Double-click |
Hit, Click twice, Click two times |
Two clicks within a given time period, with no movement
of the mouse. |
| Drag |
Point and click and drag, Click and hold down and move
mouse |
Press and hold left mouse button while moving the mouse.
Usually this is followed by a drop. (i.e. drag & drop) |
| Right-click |
click the right mouse button |
Usually displays a context-menu, that is, a menu of relevant
choices for the item(s) you've right-clicked on. |
| Special Drag |
Right-Drag, Drag with the right mouse button |
Drag mouse with right (secondary) mouse button. Usually,
this yields options when dropping (releasing mouse button.) |
| Resize |
size, make bigger, etc... |
Consistent with window control menu. |
| Maximize |
make bigger, enlarge |
Make program window cover the full screen. |
| Restore |
make smaller, shrink, resize |
Return a window to its last "windowed" size and position. |
| Restore?? |
click button on task bar to restore minimized program. |
Please suggest who this can be improved. |
| Minimize |
make smaller, shrink, exit, close |
Removes application window from screen yet application
remains active in memory and visible on the Task Bar or System Tray. |
| Floppy, Floppy disc, Diskette |
Disk (too general) |
A hard disk is also a valid disk. Many users think "disk"
necessarily means a removable "floppy" disk. |
|
This table is only a partial list of commonly used terms. There are many more application-specific terms. |