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Visitors see a simple user interface, optimized for people who follow a link or two, but are not going to read much, edit pages, etc.
Users get the advanced user interface after they register and login. Until then, they use the simple interface.
Like login, except that a cookie is used to keep track of the user’s preferred user interface. This is a possibility for wikis that don’t have logins.
Different people prefer different interfaces or even different TextFormattingRules. WikiWindows allow advanced users to have their own, customized interface. (Visitors would probably be following outside links into the Wiki and so would get the default interface.)
| status | wiki engines |
|---|---|
| Implemented | MoinMoin, WikiPedia |
| Developing | - |
| Intend to Develop | - |
| Considering | - |
| Rejected | - |
It is easy to fall into the trap of designing different interfaces for different classes of users, because by doing so, you can make sweeping assumptions that simplify the design process. Few such assumptions are likely to be true of every user in any reasonably large class of users that you specify. The antidote is to view an interface not from the perspective of a class of users but rather through the eyes of an individual. Every person who uses software over a long period goes through a relatively brief period of learning for each feature or command and a far longer period of routine (and, we hope, automatic) use. We do need to design systems that are easy to learn and understand, but it is more important that we make sure that these systems can be efficiently used in the long run. The exceptions are applications that will be used only briefly, so that every user is a novice, and habituation is not an issue. One example of such an interface is that for a computer-driven kiosk at an exhibition.
The learning phase of working with a feature involves your conscious attention. Therefore, simplicity, clarity of function, and visibility are of great importance. The expert phase is predominantly characterized by unconscious use of the feature; such use is enhanced by such qualities as aptness to the task, modelessness, and monotony. These sets of requirements are not in conflict; therefore, a well-designed and humane interface does not have to be split into beginner and expert subsystems.
– Humane Interface, The: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems, by Jef Raskin, Chapter 3.6:Myth of the Beginner-Expert Dichotomy.
On of the revolutionary ideas of wikis is the fact that anyone can edit – and that indeed everyone that have something of value to add are invited to do so. The wiki software was designed with this idea in mind – and thus, there is an effort to remove any barriers that might stop users from editing. The kind of division into “regulars” and “visitors” is rising a barrier.
The wikis are here to stay, they are not going away. More and more people are getting used to them every day. I hope that one day editing a wiki will be a natural task for everyone. We don’t want to slow this process by shielding the users from the wiki technology: on the contrary, we want them to learn to use wikis!