Wysiwyg, or ‘what you see is what you get’, was a great revelation back in the ’80s (ooh, that dates me), when suddenly all this meaningless programming with mind-boggling code was replaced with a visual of what you were trying to create. I suppose I was advantaged when my Mum insisted on using Macs, and these new-fangled little boxes with their tiny screens and smiley faces blinked out exactly what you were trying to achieve, without any horrid green writing in sight!
Over 25 years later and you’d expect wysiwyg to be common place. But why do web developers fail to realise this phenomenon is still vital for those who don’t understand code (which is, actually, the majority of us)?
I have been battling with a particular CMS recently. It is supposed to be wysiwyg, but the programming has gone so awry I don’t know what I am seeing. For me it is OK, because once I’ve fathomed it out what I’m supposed to be working on, I can make the necessary allowances. But if others are to be trained in how to use the system, and the wysiwyg has gone by-the-bye, then it’s going to be all that much harder.
In this world of visual capacity, you’d think wysiwyg would be second nature. People expect to see exactly what they are working with, so why should a ‘preview’ provide you with something totally different from the end product? I can see why so many people are battling to understand the system, and that a suitable ‘teacher’ is required to help them.
So perhaps web developers should raise their heads above the code and formulations, and spare a thought for us mere mortals who are willing to understand, but are totally flummoxed when we view something that isn’t, especially when we don’t know what we’re supposed to be seeing, and have no way of sorting it out for ourselves!
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