Do "normal people" know the terms URL and GUI?

Would an English-speaking but non-technical audience be familiar with the terms URL (in the sense of link, web address) and GUI (Graphical User Interface), for example in a manual aimed at end users?

If not, are there alternatives to GUI for referring to "the part of the program you can see and interact with, including content, menus, buttons etc."?

Or is it perhaps better to just refer to a GUI as "the program", since there is no visible distinction between the program and the GUI for the person using it?

Solution 1:

No. "Normal people" won't understand these terms. Thats my experience from user training.

Some alternatives could be : Graphical User Interface, User Interface , Program Interface, Program Screen, Program Window. Also you can replace program with application if you think that would sound better for your audience.

URL could be link, web link, web address, internet address, network address

Also as you are writing a manual, you might as well use these terms and include a glossary

Solution 2:

Normal people might now know these words. In the case of GUI I have to wonder why you would use the word at all; is there any other UI the user might also be using, that is non-graphical? It's probably best to refer to "the program" or specific items in the GUI such as particular menus or dialogs.

For URL a lot of people probably know it but you could say "link" or "address". Or define the URL in the introduction to the sections that use it.

First, copy the website's address (the URL) to your clipboard by pressing CTRL-C...

Then you can use the word URL later on (include it in a glossary, maybe?)

Snarky side-note: will "normal people" even read this help text or manual? :)

Solution 3:

URL is significantly more commonly recognized than GUI, but there are many "normal people" who are fairly clueless as to both of them.

Solution 4:

Only confirming what others (and yourself) have said.

Far more people will understand web address than URL.

Or is it perhaps better to just refer to a GUI as "the program", since there is no visible distinction between the program and the GUI for the person using it?

Yes, yes, yes. For the vast majority of non-technical users, this is very obviously the case. the GUI is the program.

Solution 5:

The company I work work publish a web site used by the building trade. Think submitting quotes for jobs with 7 or more zeros at the end. Our trainers are constantly surprised that some of our users never use a computer. They have zero knowledge about things like logging into a web site or even the basics of navigation.

In short, The technical knowledge of 'normal people' can range from absolute zero or reasonably proficient.