[blazzar]

It's an interesting take but I don't buy the relationship between Portal and Photoshop. Portal has a defined end point to each level, the routes you take are often limited as well. Photoshop has no predetermined end, it's in the mind of the user sat in front of it. I am guessing (haven't played it) that Minecraft may be a better example in that is offers creative freedom.

[msg]

Minecraft's hand holding and difficulty curve are still pretty bad. They tried to help the situation with achievements that are like little tutorials, but the wiki is still required for anything other than the basics.

[jamesgeck0]

Not necessarily. I haven't played since before the Adventuring update, but back then I had to keep the minecraft wiki open on my other monitor to get anywhere with redstone.

[Ineffable]

You still have to do this. Minecraft is a bad example.

[Splines]

I think it's a great example of a game with a bad learning experience. Something you can do in Minecraft to improve the learning experience could be applicable to productivity applications.

The problem with comparing Portal to Photoshop is that Portal has a fixed goal for the user: Get to the end of the level. How is the designer supposed to teach the new Photoshop user in the same manner?

A possible answer is to provide a simulated training ground that with only a few Photoshop tools "unlocked". By completing tasks you unlock more tools. The problem still exists in that it's still difficult to determine what mastery the user will require. And let's face it - in and of itself, using Photoshop isn't very fun.