first-time user
first-time user
A first-time user is an individual, who for the very first time uses a computer, new software application or anything else for that matter. Everyone is a first-time user when confronted with the user interface in an app, a control panel on a home appliance or even the dashboard in a new car. See first-time reader, first-time user menu and RTFM.Even IT Pros Struggle
Software engineers are first-time users when they work with a comprehensive software tool for the first time. Experienced programmers often struggle to learn a new development environment, because the names chosen to describe every element and process and the hierarchy they are presented in are arbitrary and not always well thought out. In fact, software tools are often downright indecipherable even for the professional, and the industry as a whole is oblivious to this fact. Of course, after months of experience with a new product, the struggle is mostly over, and what was once awful becomes routine. The result is a huge amount of satisfaction, along with an equal amount of job preservation. See naming fiascos.
There Aren't Enough Inhouse Testers
When testing a new software application, there are rarely enough first-time users available to do the job efficiently. After the first round of testing is evaluated and changes are made, the software is handed out again. However, in most cases, the same people who looked at round one are reviewing it in round two and so on. They are no longer first-time users, and therein lies the problem. Once someone has been exposed to a function, they will retain some of that experience, and although they may find the changes better, they already had some idea about what to expect. Ten testing rounds with 10 people really requires 100 people to do the job right, and that is rarely done if ever. The real testers are the eventual customers, which is why major new versions of a product are sometimes released in beta. See good user interface, user interface and beta version.