Ask Slashdot: Should Open-Source Developer Teams Hire Professional UI/UX Designers?

OpenSourceAllTheWay writes: There are many fantastic open-source tools out there for everything from scanning documents to making interactive music to creating 3D assets for games. Many of these tools have an Achilles heel though -- while the code quality is great and the tool is fully functional, the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) are typically significantly inferior to what you get in competing commercial tools. In an nutshell, with open source, the code is great, the tool is free, there is no DRM/activation/telemetry bullshit involved in using the tool, but you very often get a weak UI/UX with the tool that -- unfortunately -- ultimately makes the tool far less of a joy to use daily than should be the case. A prime example would be the FOSS 3D tool Blender, which is great technically, but ultimately flops on its face because of a poorly designed UI that is a decade behind commercial 3D software. So here is the question: should open-source developer teams for larger FOSS projects include a professional UI/UX designer who does the UI for the project? There are many FOSS tools that would greatly benefit from a UI re-designed by a professional UI/UX designer.

Comments

Re:No

[sexconker]

WRONG!

Using a non-free font is a fucking minefield. Typically, you have to buy the right type of license (print, online, ads, logos only, video, etc.), then for most of those you have to agree to embed tracking bullshit in your distribution or work only with publishers that do, then you have to buy more licenses if you cross a threshold of impressions.

Fact: Nobody tracks it, and those who claim to know it doesn't work right, and no one know how much they're really supposed to pay. Nearly every single website elling legit font licenses is, in fact, just a different front (often just a domain name and a skin) that ties back into a single actual font whore house that draws up the draconian license agreements no one has ever read and just sues you if they THINK you might not have put in your pound of flesh.

Re:WAT?

[Darinbob]

On the other hand, I preferred the UIs out there a decade ago. Maybe a UI that feels a decade old might be preferable?

We dont know the final product to "just design it"

[JoeCommodore]

As a developer and doing my own UI/UX I can say I can't really even think about the UI/UX much until I've developed a lot of the final product. Until then, fields and control come and go move from one screen to another, maybe completely change what sort of purpose it has. Developing is not a set in stone thing, and on independent projects like these where you may be pushing the envelope in features where there may not be a UI/UX paradigm for it.

In the design phase for these projects, it is a great benefit if whoever does the UI/UX design know the the environment in and out and if it is a specific subject - should know that pretty well too, you can't just plop down and work up some awesome Blender interface unless you have really used Blender extensively and know what would actually make an awesome interface for someone working with Blender.

Ao as most of these people say, Yes it's an awesome thing, no its not cost effective to pay people on an rarely unpaid open source project, and mostly if you want a great UI/UX you really need to be a lasting member of a project where you can develop the user aspects along with side the evolving technical aspects.

And if you were able to make some awesome easy-to-use advanced interface for blender, you will be well recognized.