Novell's Releases Linux Usability Testing Videos

sp3298622 writes "Novell is releasing primary desktop research, including over 200 videos and analysis of usability tests, at betterdesktop.openSUSE.org. Vice president of collaboration and desktop engineering for Novell, Nat Friedman: As a programmer, it's sometimes difficult to know how ordinary people with no technical experience are reacting to your software. Linux people tend to know other Linux people. In these usability tests, we selected test subjects who were experienced with Windows, but who had never heard of Linux, and asked them to perform basic tasks using the Linux desktop."

Comments

Hm.

[Captain Scurvy]

Linux people tend to know other Linux people. In these usability tests, we selected test subjects who were experienced with Windows, but who had never heard of Linux, and asked them to perform basic tasks using the Linux desktop.

Might this only result in the Linux desktop becoming more like Windows?

I'd go a bit further than that...

[famebait]

As a programmer, it's sometimes difficult to know how ordinary people with no technical experience are reacting to your software.

How about "always completly fscking impossible" for more precision.

Not that there's nothing to gain from training and experience in usability design. Far from it: it will let you skip many obvious problems, and help you resolve others that users find for you in better and more efficient ways. But until your interface is tested on "real people" in at least a couple of iterations, there is no way in hell you can call it "good", "finished", or anything of the sort. If you don't agree, you've probably never done any real usability trials. There are always surprises. Often really big ones.

Your fine tuned detail somewhere may work just as plannned, but it will easily be swamped by problems stemming from inadvertent signals the interface is sending which never occurred to you, or from assumptions you never questioned or even spotted, which utlim ately make people (rightfully!) misunderstand the whole metaphor and do the wrong thing.

There are good news though: If you are willing to really really accept that the user is right (the way people percieve your product is in fact the way they perceive it, and you won't be around to explain to them that their thinking is wrong), and have set aside reasonable time to correct the problems you will find, - usability trials are fun!

Seriously. Fun, enlightening, and humbling (but in feelgood way), and they will broaden your horizons by illustrating just how differently from your daily assumptions it is not just possible but common to think. Do them. You'll like it.

Just resist the urge to explain the problem to the subject (except to be able to move on to test other things). Write down the problem in stead. The trial is for your instruction, not theirs.