Forestry, hydrology, fisheries, and engineering are just a few of the many disciplines represented within our GIS user environment. The GIS analyst/programmer has the knowledge of ARC/INFO and ArcView GIS to build, query, and produce required analyses for users. But more often the request is "show me how I can do this myself." This paper discusses 1. How to communicate effectively with users 2. How to build a GUI/program that will satisfy the users' needs according to their abilities 3. Techniques for teaching users to use ARC/INFO and ArcView GIS programs effectively