Re: GNOME SWOT Analysis

[Thorsten Wilms <t_w_ freenet de>]

On Thu, 2010-04-01 at 01:38 +0200, Juanjo Marin wrote:

> http://live.gnome.org/SWOT

Very interesting and it appears to be thorough, but one things bugs me:


"Usable
GNOME understands that usability is about creating software that is easy
for everyone to use, not about piling on features."


I think the term "usable" implies general fitness, that what is refereed
to can be used to accomplish what it is meant for without nasty
side-effects. It does not necessarily imply a level of quality beyond
that.

Instead you could write "User-centered" or "User-friendly", perhaps.

While there are varying definitions of usability, ease-of-use might be a
factor among several, if it appears as such at all.

The "for everyone" is problematic, but I know how hard it is to be more
specific.

A tight definition of usability could be:
The combination of effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction of an
interface, regarding a specific task, context and user(-group).
Where effectiveness refers to the level of fitness for the purpose and
efficiency refers to the amount of work or time required. It's a 3 level
system: does it work at all, does it work well, is it satisfying? The
last level puts some weight on rather emotional factors that can have an
impact on performance. It is possible that a user is more satisfied with
an interface that is actually less efficient.


I guess vagueness in this area is another weakness.


-- 
Thorsten Wilms

thorwil's design for free software:
http://thorwil.wordpress.com/