[openbeos] Usability Group (long) (vaguely OT)
- From: "David Shipman" <unlyrn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:45:48 -0800
First off, apologies for the length of the mail, and thanks to those who
actually read it :)
There are lot of great ideas getting thrown about here, and on the GE
mailing list. As with all ideas (especially the great ones :), not everyone
agrees 100% on the way things should be done.
Everyone has their preference as to the way any one thing should work - the
move/resize debate relating to window edges is an excellent example.
This begs the important question : What makes one way of doing things
'better' than another?
In most cases, its not a cut'n'dry answer; theres a reason for the name
'Preferences'. However, most people don't really delve too far into these
things; to them, a computer is a tool that they need for certain tasks, and
tend to accept the way things are presented to them as the way things "are".
Moreover, even competent and familiar users shouldn't have to make changes
in order for the system for work well.
For this reason (amongst others), I propose a usability group, responsible
for the following tasks
1 ) Gathering and collating data on the 'user experience'. This can include
some formal study, but not be limited to it - friends/family are often the
best people to ask, since they're likely to be straightforward and honest
about it. It can also consist of personal experience, surveys, or anything
else that helps to clarify how people respond and interact with the system.
2 ) Establishing a set of usability guidelines (based on the above
information); this is not just about new-user-friendliness; I'm reffering to
an extensible concept of usability, the system scales with users
requirements. What makes a system more usable for developers? For designers?
3 ) Liasing/reporting with other teams to ensure the guidelines are
implemented; this doesn't mean limiting any aspect of the OS; in many cases
it should just mean having the most appropriate 'default' settings.
I believe this is something that should be covered early; many of you will
know how unpleasant Linux can be due to the lack of any standardised
guidelines. It also means people can spend their time and energy doing what
they're best at; if your talent is writing tight code, you shouldn't need to
worry about whether alt or ctrl is a more appropriate modifier for any one
task...
For some personal background :
Aside from my musical/collaborative art projects, I am currently employed at
the support desk for New Zealand's largest ISP; its not an easy job,
psychologically, but the learning experience has been invaluable. Every day
I get to see first hand how people interact with their computers; what makes
them frustrated, what makes them feel empowered.
I've also tutored intermediate level courses on internet use - largely
dealing with finding information quickly and effectively.
I'm happy to put my time and effort into this, I think the project as a
whole could benefit greatly. Besides, I'm a lot more comfortable out here in
user space than getting down'n'dirty with the code :)
Anyone with an interest/experience in HCI (human computer interaction),
interface design, psychology, ergonomics or training is invited to discuss
this (probably off-list), I would welcome any feedback you may have
Thanks,
David Shipman
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