Re: [Usability] Ideas for Usability Hackfest

[Dan Fitek <dan fitek gmail com>]

Hi Brian,

I'm a Usability Engineer and I use and tinker with some Linux distros such as Ubuntu (I'm not a developer though).  I'd like to come to the Usability Hackfest and help out with some research, planning, and discussion.  I notice that the GNOME summit goes on for the entire 3 day weekend.  http://live.gnome.org/Boston2009

If I could only commit to coming to one day of the 'fest.  Which day would you recommend?

Thanks,
Dan

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Today's Topics:

  1. Re: Ideas for Usability Hackfest (Brian Cameron)
  2. Re: Requesting a right-click root menu for GNOME 3
     (Anzan Hoshin Roshi)


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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:15:54 -0500
From: Brian Cameron <Brian Cameron Sun COM>
To: Ted Gould <ted ubuntu com>
Cc: usability gnome org
Subject: Re: [Usability] Ideas for Usability Hackfest
Message-ID: <4AC5544A 5020400 sun com>
Content-Type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; format=flowed


Ted:

> On Mon, 2009-09-28 at 17:36 -0500, Brian Cameron wrote:
>> - GNOME Foundation Mobile Usability Lab
>> - Next revision of the GNOME HIG
>> - Usability Data
>> - Ongoing Usability
>
> They all sound good.  I guess my only concern is that it is much easier
> to gather the data than analyze it.  That was what was most interesting
> to me with the inGIMP stuff is the calibration to sit down sessions,
> then the ability to use that more broadly.
>
> Of the list there, I think the HIG is probably the highest priority to
> me.  There is now lots that it doesn't cover :)

I encourage you to discuss ways that you think the HIG should be
improved.  It would be good to have more discussion.

>> The Boston Summit is coming up in a few weeks (October 10-12).  I am
>> wondering how many usability people are going to this event.  If there
>> is an interest, and enough people going, we could plan to get together
>> there and discuss these ideas further.  Any interest?
>
> I'll be there, let's talk!  I unfortunately have to leave Sunday night
> so earlier rather than later please :)

Sounds good.  I think there will be a fair group of Usability people at
the Boston Summit, so lets plan to spend some time working on these
things.

>> So, I am interested to hear what people think.  I am interested to know
>> who is interested, who are the right people to be involved with a
>> project like this, and who might be available to help with
>> organizational things.
>
> I suck at organizational things, but I'm willing to try and help.

I think just participating in the discussion is the best way to help.
A lot of decisions need to be made in terms of how to improve the HIG.

Brian




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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 21:32:39 -0400
From: Anzan Hoshin Roshi <anzanhoshinroshi gmail com>
To: Rick Spencer <moephan yahoo com>
Cc: usability gnome org
Subject: Re: [Usability] Requesting a right-click root menu for GNOME
       3
Message-ID:
       <547a9e0d0910011832r2773a820u54ebdbad6fc44da7 mail gmail com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Hello Again,

2009/10/1 Rick Spencer <moephan yahoo com>

> I agree with Stormy. It's not an "either/or" discussion. New users and
> frequent users should both like the system.
>
> Probably the easiest way to get a list of what usability is "about", is to
> start with Jakob Nielsen's list of heuristics for his heuristic review
> method. This stuff has stood the test of time.
>
> The "power user" heuristic is:
> Flexibility and efficiency of use -
> Accelerators -- unseen by the novice user -- may often speed up the
> interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both
> inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.
>
> wikipedia has a good write up:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heuristic_evaluation
>
> --- On Thu, 10/1/09, Stormy Peters <stormy gnome org> wrote:
>
> > From: Stormy Peters <stormy gnome org>
> > Subject: Re: [Usability] Requesting a right-click root menu for GNOME 3
> > To: "Karoliina Salminen" <karoliina t salminen gmail com>
> > Cc: "Anzan Hoshin Roshi" <anzanhoshinroshi gmail com>,
> usability gnome org
> > Date: Thursday, October 1, 2009, 7:39 AM
> > Usability is not just about making
> > things easy for novice users. It's about making an
> > intuitive interface for people - all people.
> > My understanding is that many of the difficulties arise
> > in the trade offs between the types of users.
> > Stormy
>

Thank you, Stormy and Rick.

Whether a right-click root menu is implemented or not (but as GNOME 3 is as
yet far off so I ask it be contemplated), my issue is that I would like to
use GNOME.

The stack is good (though sometimes precarious in Ubuntu so that a snag in
Pidgin has sometimes required a reboot instead of just killing X and
starting a new session) but the apps and basic framework are fantastic. I
started out with apple in 1987, did Win 95 and up, tried Xandros (sound
didn't work), then Vista finally gave me the final reason to not just use
GIMP and OO.org and so on but a free OS. I've used GNOME in Debian, Gentoo,
and Ubuntu.

Rebooting because I couldn't trace a problem with the whole GNOME DE loaded
in Ubuntu made me look to Fluxbox for a more easily debuggable system,.
which I find does what I need. But I still would like to be able to use
GNOME. (I've tried KDE 3.5 and 4, Xmonad, Windowmaker, Awesome and so on.) I
like GNOME. I will use its apps and underthings in and under Fluxbox. But I
would like to be able to just use GNOME.

I am not a "poweruser". I use X, after all. And the monastics here at Zen
Centre do not regard themselves as such. One said to me regarding this
conversation today, "But I'm an old lady and I want a root menu at
right-click." As forme, I just need to be able to get to and do tasks.

At the very least, I would appreciate it if GNOME devs bear in mind that the
new "Shell" might or might not be useful to some new and old users but they
could also provide a way for people to use GNOME without being distracted
<i>by</i> GNOME and having to fiddle with obtrusive imaginary artifiacts to
get to a workspace, document, or file. The Desktop is not a place, it is
just a metaphor for a file. Right-clicking there (or even on any file) could
give a menu option. If chosen, then users would be able to just do what they
want to do instead of flinging the cursor about to aim st this or that
cartoon image.

Please, just do not make the "Shell" unavoidablle and provide easily
acessible means of configuring the DE.

Thank you for your patience in reading this. And thanks also for your work
on FLOSS. My teeth would fall out without it.

Yours,
Anzan Hoshin
http://wwzc.org
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