Yes, I checked to two dictionaries to be certain ass-backwards is not considered vulgar.
Faithlife, you got it right when you ran blog series HiDef Mondays and Sense of the Day. You introduced the user to the tagging values. But for the average user, much of the tagging is equally meaningless unless they are shown (a) what it is and (b) what it means when reading the scripture. By "means" I mean how does it help the user understand the text - not just a mouse-over definition to parrot back. Faithlife should take another look at training not focusing on the mechanics but on the why as the blogs listed above did. And I suggest that for much of that one should take tips from language arts education and foreign language education. Teach what something (e.g. Sentence Type) is, how to assign the classification, and how to use that information. Currently FL starts at "How to search for the information" and "How to read a popup definition".
- Run a tip of the day entry that is on (a) a single piece of data i.e. a single value (b) shows examples of what that value tells one about the text and (c) gives a way to find other examples to try it for yourself. You could use the home page, the Program Assistant, or the blog to house this. Some repetition is a good thing ... as users learn, more additional items will make sense.
- Emphasize the Information Panel as where one sees and applies the values of FL tagging ... an improved version that contains all tagging and divides "other references" into smaller, meaningful units. For the non-seminary educated user this means a default Bible layout of Bible-Information Panel-Factbook.
- At least for all elements that span text (i.e. Section, Label...) provide filters that one can rotate through so one sees where the change in genre, change in speaker, break in sentence etc. fall in text - the Information Panel fails to show boundaries. (Note one way to do it would be click on entry in Information Panel to activate filter)
- Integrate the clause data - grammatical roles, semantic roles, case frames - into the Informational Panel ,Context Menu, and Bible Browser. Especially since the closely related verbal classes are already there, this is a gaping hole. Note the grammatical roles are something most users are already familiar with and can make use of immediately..
- To the extent possible, have the Lookup Function appear on all FL tagging in the Context Menu. This will require some reworking of documentation.
- Consider interactives as the primary means for the user of observing and learning what distinctions the various attribute values make. This means adding in a number of interactives for existing datasets. And yes, there are a few dataset for which interactives are not needed.
- Consider making training videos of teachers teaching the data rather than the tool e.g. videos on Speech Acts - criteria for inclusion, meaning of the attributes. Think of it as an instructor for a high-school senior language arts class not as a software instructor's class.
The point is, Faithlife has built it's brand on its tagging - which is very powerful. Most of that tagging is foreign to the average high-school graduate but well within what they can easily be taught to understand. Without that understanding Logos seems expensive, daunting, and unlearnably complex.. Some users learn easily on their own but many need assistance. If FL saw the education of the user as part of its core mission, it could greatly enhance user satisfaction and referrals to new customers.
