Fun is an important factor in the effective motivation of learning. Without a sense of enjoyment, students will not be motivated to allocate the necessary time and attention that is required to learn complex interfaces. Similarly, a range of leisure applications are becomg increasingly important for interface designers. These include computer games but also broadcast media such as Internet Channels. Unfortunately, HCI offers relatively few principles that can be applied to increase user satisfaction and fun with these applications.
Fun is unimportant. Whether the user enjoys interacting with a system is less important than whether they can get the task done. For instance, fun is less of a motivating factor in CAL than the promise of a good examination mark. Similarly, most interfaces that are deliberately designed to be fun can end up becoming incredibly frustrating. By focussing on users' tasks HCI has done more to support user motivation and satisfaction than would have been achieved if more time had been spent on such a nebulous and subjective concept as 'fun'. Discuss.
There will be food and drink at Chris' house afterwards.