Re: Usability ratings/assistance for GNOME/GTK+ apps?

[Calum Benson <calum benson sun com>]

Luciano Chavez wrote:

> Is there a process to have the app reviewed at some point to be given
> feedback from usability experts such as yourselves to allow my project
> to get a "stamp of approval" as to following proper usability
> guidelines?

We are only just starting to write a user interface styleguide for GNOME
(this week, in fact!), so there is no process yet by which you can have
your application "approved"-- there may never be, it's a fairly unusual
concept in a free software environment.  However, I'm sure the folks on
this list, and on the #usability channel if you have access to IRC, will
be happy to help you design a good application.  

Until the guidelines are in place, you'll probably get most feedback
from people by explaining what the application is for, and showing us
any prototypes you have-- they don't have to be working protytpes, just
something you've put together in Glade or HTML, or drawn in the GIMP, or
even just scribbled on a piece of paper and scanned in.  

If you can describe some "scenarios" or tasks that the application will
be used for, so much the better-- understanding the users and what they
need to do with the application is of course very important.  What is
their background?  Are they familiar with GNOME, or some other desktop? 
Will they be using the application in a quiet office or in a noisy
factory?  How did they previously do the job that they will use this new
application to do instead?  All those sorts of things are important to
know when designing a usable application.

> I imagine that a large part of the usability project is not just to get
> the GNOME Desktop and menues usable but also the applications that
> comprise it like the one I am assigned to produce.

Very true, the guidelines we're writing will be mostly aimed at people
like yourself who are writing applications.

> I see getting an approval from the GUP as a win-win situation. I get the
> needed assistance with usability and you get a better GNOME or GTK+ app
> that conforms to the standards you have set. I also think that a
> cross-endorsement from both projects benefits both as well.

We'd like to think so too :o)

Cheeri,
Calum.

-- 
CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer       Sun Microsystems Ireland
mailto:calum benson ireland sun com    Desktop Engineering Group
http://www.sun.ie                      +353 1 819 9771

Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems