Re: [Usability] spatial nautilus concerns



I do want to respond to some of the specific points made by other posters, BUT this thread has largely lost track of my original point, which I do think is the important one. So I'm going to try again:

We all have opinions regarding the spatial metaphor. We all have some intuitive notions of why one way of doing things is better or worse than another. But none of us is arguing from hard, empirical evidence gathered through unbiased user testing. The usability advantages and disadvantages of each metaphor, and the feasibility of various hybrids, certainly makes for interesting discussion but ultimately should be resolved through the gathering of real data.

To put it a slightly different way: GNOME has now implemented all the features of both the "spatial" and "navigation" modes. Without any significant coding we can mix and match elements of each. We have all the underpinnings of an excellent usability test to determine which of the competing claims about these paradigms is true, and what the outcomes of the various trade-offs are. Instead of continuing to argue based on our opinions and intuitions, we should find out the answers. I will help if I can.

--Dave

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David A. Feldman
User Interface Designer
http://InterfaceThis.com




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