Re: Usability studies

[Adam Tauno Williams <awilliam whitemice org>]

On Fri, 2011-05-13 at 23:02 +0100, Tim Murphy wrote:
> On 13 May 2011 21:55, Adam Tauno Williams <awilliam whitemice org>
> wrote:
> On Fri, 2011-05-13 at 14:10 -0400, Gerald Henriksen wrote:
> > >Last I checked, GNOME never only allowed "one way" to use the
> desktop.
> > >Even with GNOME 3, which I admit isn't the most customizable thing
> in
> >>the world (though I don't mind), there's quite a few ways to use>
> >>your desktop. You could go mouse-only, keyboard-only, keyboard
>>>mouse... You
>> While mouse only is possible in Gnome 3, it is horribly inefficient.
> As it is in GNOME2 and every other UI.  The use is merely has merely
> gotten used to how inefficient it is. 

Meant was: "The user has merely gotten used to how inefficient it is"

> I think he's saying that it's better in Gnome 2 and that he hasn't
> forgotten anything. We are, after all, talking about a "Graphical"
> user interface rather than invisible capabilities like hotkeys.

Right, in GNOME2 I installed GNOME-Do so that I could <WIN>+Space, w, r,
i, <enter> to launch LibreOffice Writer.  With GNOME3 I don't have to
install anything; replace <WIN>+Space with <ALT>+F1.  *ALWAYS* faster
than mouse to launcher. 

> >>2. "For example, in trying to make the launching of applications
> >>easier and freer of error, both eliminated the classic main menu in
> >>favor of displays that occupy the entire desktop. This arrangement
>>>does improve the launching of applications -- but it does so at the
>>> cost of obscuring the windows that are already open
>>During the act of launching an application: why do you care about the
> >windows that are already open?  I never do.
>One reason is that one is launching something to use it with other
> stuff - it's part of your overal task and it's a discontinuity to have
>to disappear out of your context while you are working.  You might
>think of applications as big things you stick around in whereas I might
>think of them as lots of little palettes that am constructing into a
>set to accomplish my task.  e.g. just imagine using this kind of thing
>in a paint program - where you had to change screens to pick the
>"circle" tool so that you could draw circles - would that make any
>sense?

I think this analysis is false; I don't perform a menial task such as
drawing a circle in one application using another application.  I
typically use numerous applications at one time [Monodevelop, GNOME
Terminal, Wireshark, gedit, nautilus, LibreOffice Writer, and
DbVisualizer].  I've never noticed that the brief switch to the activity
view interupted my flow [and more than the brief appearance of
GNOME-Do].  All the windows return to exactly where they were before.


> >I really don't understand the fuss about "launching applications is
> >slower/harder".  Who cares?  It isn't hard.  And how often does one
> >launch an application?  Rarely;  it certainly can't account for but
>>an infintesimal amount of overall usage.  If you really launch
>>something over and over - assign a key binding [nothing is faster 
>>than that].
>I launch shells and editors and file managers and remote desktop
>clients a lot.  It's a GUI - I don't expect to have to use hotkeys to
>overcome it's deficiencies and if one is at the point where "make a
>hotkey" is the answer then the GUI is obviously no up to snuff.
> What I actually want, personally, is the GUI equivalent of hotkeys.

And GNOME3 provides exactly that - Alt+F1 and type the first few
characters of the application name.