Most non-technical end users can't give good feedback on precicely why a UI sucks...they just know that it sucks and it frustrates them.
One of the really smart things that Apple did was to create UI guidelines ("Preferences" are ALWAYS in the Edit menu) and lean on developers to use them. Then you do not have to relearn where to find common features in applications; as you use the apps, it becomes intuitive how to perform those actions since they are always done the same way.
Developers seem to have a great time creating new interfaces, but they should instead consider :
Is this so much better than everything else out there, that it is worth making the end users relearn everything?
In most cases the answer is NO.
The Linux developer community needs to realize that to make software usable, it is generally more important to be consistant that clever. As Nigel Tufnel once said "There is a fine line between clever and stupid"
I wish that all commercial software developers who develop end user software were required to read "The Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman. The quality of UI would improve markedly, IMHO.
Slashdot Mirror
he has changed 122 to 84, stating his numbers were "a bit off"...since when is 30% a bit?
and also states that 99 is "scarcely larger" than 84...so 17% is "scarcely"
what an ultramaroon....
Most non-technical end users can't give good feedback on precicely why a UI sucks...they just know that it sucks and it frustrates them.
One of the really smart things that Apple did was to create UI guidelines ("Preferences" are ALWAYS in the Edit menu) and lean on developers to use them. Then you do not have to relearn where to find common features in applications; as you use the apps, it becomes intuitive how to perform those actions since they are always done the same way.
Developers seem to have a great time creating new interfaces, but they should instead consider :
Is this so much better than everything else out there, that it is worth making the end users relearn everything?
In most cases the answer is NO.
The Linux developer community needs to realize that to make software usable, it is generally more important to be consistant that clever. As Nigel Tufnel once said "There is a fine line between clever and stupid"
I wish that all commercial software developers who develop end user software were required to read "The Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman. The quality of UI would improve markedly, IMHO.
have you seen Connectix' Virtual PC...I don't think Connectix needs to steal anything from anybody