Tuning with User Experience in Mind
Nothing changes so much or so fast as the user experience. When someone begins using a computer or even a new application on the computer, everything seems to move too fast. Screens flash by at
lightning speed and the user would love to have everything slow down just a little so they can actually understand what’s going on.
Flash forward a few months and you’ll see that the user has become a lot more proficient with the computer and its applications. Tasks that used to require days now take hours to complete. However,
a new problem has surfaced—the computer is extremely slow. The user begs for an upgrade, any upgrade, to make the excessively slow computer perform its job quickly.
The problem is that nothing has changed except the user. The computer still runs at the same pace it always did—in fact, it often helps to time the computer to prove this fact. Experience makes a great deal of difference in the way the user perceives computer execution speed. In fact, the computer can slow down and speed up daily based solely on the user’s mood at the time.
Optimization can help with this particular problem too. However, this is a case where optimization doesn’t mean increased system speed. Helping the user become more efficient—tuning the user— is an important part of the optimization process. When a user gains enough experience, it’s often possible to improve user efficiency and keep things moving fast by helping the user make better use of
system resources. For example, an email download can take place in the background while the user types a document or performs some other task. Believe it or not, the computer often spends more time
waiting for the user than the other way around.
Taken From : Microsoft Windows XP Power Optimization