ABSTRACT
An office manager begins to type a memo using a word-processing software program. The memo is to have five paragraphs numbered 1 through 5. The first paragraph will include three subparagraphs labeled a, b, and c. The manager begins the memo by typing ‘1.’ After typing the first paragraph, he pushes the ‘Enter’ key and prepares to type subparagraph a. However, the software program responds by moving the cursor to the left margin of the next line; a ‘2’ appears on the computer screen. The manager has to correct the actions of the software by pressing the ‘Backspace’ key. Why did this happen? The software developers attempted to design the program to infer the intent of the user. This feature saves a keystroke or two when the computer’s actions match the intent of the user but is an annoyance when its actions are not what the user intended.
