Re: [Usability] spatial nautilus concerns

[Havoc Pennington <hp redhat com>]

The suggestion that a UI of this complexity can be definitively designed
via testing isn't really accurate. Seth discusses some of the issues
here: http://www.gnome.org/~seth/blog/onusabilitytesting

But just think about all the factors. What will the backgrounds be of
the test subjects? Will you test both people who are used to the
interface and people new to it? What tasks will you give them to
measure? Is the metric speed of finding a single file, how well people
can use removable media, how the UI encourages a usable organization of
the filesystem, how well the user can explain the intended user model,
how people feel subjectively about their experience, or what? There's a
ton of judgment involved here, it's not just a matter of reading the raw
unbiased numbers.

*Of course* it would be valuable to run a usability test and see where
people stumble. But I think it would be setting the wrong expectation if
we thought it would definitively resolve this particular debate. It will
only provide some additional data points on the specific cases tested
and specific questions the test asked.

Don't misunderstand, I'd encourage testing (of this part of GNOME and
many others that are perhaps even more interesting). But it's probably a
mistake to say the design of the desktop will be determined by testing,
vs. polished by testing.

Note, I'd also strongly agree with the basic point that it's pointless
to have all these long threads on spatial nautilus. Or for that matter
most of the UI discussion threads that happen. But just because far more
people have an opinion than have a good judgment, doesn't mean there are
no good judgments; that's true whether we're talking about programming,
interaction design, politics, or baseball.

Havoc

On Fri, 2004-10-22 at 22:02 -0400, David Feldman wrote:
> 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.