When friends come over and see how I have MSN Messenger set up using Messenger Plus! and StuffPlug NG, the first thing they always as is, "How can I make MSN look like that?" I usually reply with, "Well, go to
http://messenger.msn.com and install messenger. Then go to
http://www.msgnplus.net and install Messenger Plus! but when you do this, be very, very careful. Read every screen, and when you reach the sponsor, make absolutely sure you select the option that says 'refuse,' or else you will get some stuff on your computer you may not want."
I was thinking about this, and thought, "How many people actually install the sponsor?" I'm willing to bet is it a minority of users. This then led into, "So why is it even in the installer?"
To the novice user, no matter how you phrase it, seeing the word "refuse" in an installer makes them believe that they must accept for the program to install. No matter how much documentation there is around it, that is the default presumption.
This lead me into thinking, "Is there maybe a better way to handle this?" and then it came to me: package the installer and sponsor completely separately, and just add a link to the sponsor package, or a checkbox (not a radio button, because that implies either/or), and label it "Install the Sponsor Package (OPTIONAL)" or some similar name. This would make it far less confusing for users, as they have seen similar options in other installers such as the one for MSN Messenger.
A simple interface change such as that would make the inclusion of the sponsor program a much less controversial issue, and would make it nearly completely clear to most users that it is optional, and they only need to install it if they WANT to.
Just my thoughts;
Delox
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