Recommendation regarding use of 'Weekdays' (Program Details)

[blartyo]

On the Program Details page, when one clicks on 'Schedule', the following line appears:

 

 

"On Weekdays: __All __Saturday __Sunday __Monday __Tuesday __Wednesday __Thursday __Friday"

 

 

I recommend changing the word "Weekdays" to "days".

 

If one currently selects __All, it is confusing as to whether one has selected All Weekdays (Mon-Fri) or All Days (Sat-Fri).

 

Regards.

[DBaldwin]

Interesting idea. I was taught that the week started on sunday and ended on Saturday and that all of the days in the week were "weekdays"

 

Of course there are weekends and workdays. For some people the weekend is Sunday and Monday, or might be Friday and Saturday.

 

In any case, I think changing to days would be more confusing.

 

With all due respect, I would recommend that UDI stick with Weekdays.

 

 

 

On the Program Details page, when one clicks on 'Schedule', the following line appears:

 

 

"On Weekdays: __All __Saturday __Sunday __Monday __Tuesday __Wednesday __Thursday __Friday"

 

 

I recommend changing the word "Weekdays" to "days".

 

If one currently selects __All, it is confusing as to whether one has selected All Weekdays (Mon-Fri) or All Days (Sat-Fri).

 

Regards.

[blartyo]

Hi D.B.,

 

Well, your understanding of weekday is different than mine and that is why I was recommending changing to something less confusing. It certainly could be changed to something other than "days".

 

The below dictionaries define weekday as any day of the week except Sunday, or Saturday and Sunday.

 

The change isn't a big deal to me anymore, since I now know how the function works. But, it was definitely confusing and unintuitive to me and represents just one more hurdle (albeit minor) a newcomer to the tool must overcome. Of course, I tend to take things very literally, which can be a benefit or a hindrance depending on the situation.

 

 

• Mirriam-Webster Dictionary
  week·day
  Function: noun
  Date: 14th century
  : a day of the week except Sunday or sometimes except Saturday and Sunday
   
   
  American Heritage Dictionary
  week·day
  n. Any of the days of the week exclusive of Sunday and often Saturday.
   
   
  Compact Oxford English Dictionary
  weekday
  • noun -- a day of the week other than Sunday or Saturday.
   
   
  Dictionary.com unabridged
  week·day
  Pronunciation[week-dey]
  –noun
  1. any day of the week except Sunday or, often, Saturday and Sunday.

 

Regards.

[DBaldwin]

OK, I stand corrected.

 

May I have your permission to use ketchup on the crow that I am now going to have for dinner?

 

Dave

 

Hi D.B.,

 

Well, your understanding of weekday is different than mine and that is why I was recommending changing to something less confusing. It certainly could be changed to something other than "days".

 

The below dictionaries define weekday as any day of the week except Sunday, or Saturday and Sunday.

 

The change isn't a big deal to me anymore, since I now know how the function works. But, it was definitely confusing and unintuitive to me and represents just one more hurdle (albeit minor) a newcomer to the tool must overcome. Of course, I tend to take things very literally, which can be a benefit or a hindrance depending on the situation.

 

 

• Mirriam-Webster Dictionary
  week·day
  Function: noun
  Date: 14th century
  : a day of the week except Sunday or sometimes except Saturday and Sunday
   
   
  American Heritage Dictionary
  week·day
  n. Any of the days of the week exclusive of Sunday and often Saturday.
   
   
  Compact Oxford English Dictionary
  weekday
  • noun -- a day of the week other than Sunday or Saturday.
   
   
  Dictionary.com unabridged
  week·day
  Pronunciation[week-dey]
  –noun
  1. any day of the week except Sunday or, often, Saturday and Sunday.

 

Regards.

[Sub-Routine]

Yes, Weekdays should be Days.

 

If there were buttons (or a combo box) for all, weekends, and weekdays that selected the appropriate days and then allowed the user to modify the days selection that would be nice. Definitely low priority though

[upstatemike]

I agree that the "Weekdays" label should be just "Days". I would also eliminate the "All" option since it does not save that much time over just selecting each of the days you want.

 

Instead of "All" I would like to see selections for "Workdays" and "Days Off". By Default "Days Off" would enable Saturdays, Sundays, and Major Holidays (from an employer perspective) such as New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independance Day, Labor Day Thankgiving Thursday and Friday, and Christmas Day. "Workdays" would just be the inverse of whatever is defined for "Days Off".

 

I would also like to see a configuration page where the "Days Off" defaults could be modified if desired (different weekend days, added or changed Holiday dates). I think this would work well for most people.

[Sub-Routine]

I agree that the "Weekdays" label should be just "Days". I would also eliminate the "All" option since it does not save that much time over just selecting each of the days you want.

 

Instead of "All" I would like to see selections for "Workdays" and "Days Off". By Default "Days Off" would enable Saturdays, Sundays, and Major Holidays (from an employer perspective) such as New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independance Day, Labor Day Thankgiving Thursday and Friday, and Christmas Day. "Workdays" would just be the inverse of whatever is defined for "Days Off".

 

I would also like to see a configuration page where the "Days Off" defaults could be modified if desired (different weekend days, added or changed Holiday dates). I think this would work well for most people.

 

I thought I would wait a bit before requesting the Holidays again

[blartyo]

Hi DB,

 

You can use ketchup. I usually eat mine lightly sauteed with garlic. I have many recipes since I eat it often. : )

[Algorithm]

I agree that the "Weekdays" label should be just "Days". I would also eliminate the "All" option since it does not save that much time over just selecting each of the days you want.

 

Instead of "All" I would like to see selections for "Workdays" and "Days Off". By Default "Days Off" would enable Saturdays, Sundays, and Major Holidays (from an employer perspective) such as New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independance Day, Labor Day Thankgiving Thursday and Friday, and Christmas Day. "Workdays" would just be the inverse of whatever is defined for "Days Off".

 

I would also like to see a configuration page where the "Days Off" defaults could be modified if desired (different weekend days, added or changed Holiday dates). I think this would work well for most people.

 

In this case, I disagree. While the 'All' selection may not save a huge amount of time over selecting each of the days, it is very convenient when reading a program; you can see at a glance that the program statement is effective for all days, rather than scanning the entire list of days. This is particularly helpful when comparing statements, and not having to compare the entire list when each has the All box checked.

 

More importantly, not everyone's schedule fits nicely into workdays and days off which correspond with weekends and with calendar holidays. Still more important is that holidays in the vast majority of the world do not correspond with those in the U.S. But to be fair, likely the lion's share of ISY users are in the U.S. And to be fairer still, Mike did also allow for the 'holidays' to be user configurable.

 

In the end, Mike's scheme is eminently workable, and I applaud him for conceiving it. But would it not perhaps be better to avoid a U.S.-centric paradigm which can only leave a bad taste in the mouth of the rest of the world?

 

I do acknowledge that configurable "Workdays" and "Rest days" checkboxes may be convenient for many users and could be added in addition to the boxes already there. These two boxes should be mutually exclusive with the All box, and when any of the three is checked, the seven-day list should be grayed-out, just as is presently done when All is checked.

[Michel Kohanim]

Thank you all for your feedback.

 

Weekdays shall be renamed to Days!

 

Work days and days off/holidays need more investigation just to make sure we are not going to cause more confusion.

 

With kind regards,

Michel