Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Re: Online book for usability

[James Blackwell]

>>>>>> "David" == David Allouche <address@hidden> writes:
>
>    David> On Fri, Jun 18, 2004 at 02:27:05AM -0400, James Blackwell
>    David> wrote:
>
>     >>> Tonight I bumped into an online book that covers usability
>     >>> with GUI programs.
>
>     >>> Though arch isn't a gui program, enough of the concepts still
>     >>> apply that I'd like to humbly suggest that others may be
>     >>> interested in it.
>
>    David> Interesting reading, thanks.
>


address@hidden (Stephen J. Turnbull) wrote:
> I'm curious what you found interesting about it.
>
> To expand on my earlier "-1": I thought that for its target (programs
> whose market is bigger than a 100% share of Mac users) it was about 3X
> as long as it needed to be, and that for JB's implied context ("arch
> isn't gui, but") the self-evaluation that the book is relevant to
> programs with more than 10^7 paying customers is correct: it's not
> really very applicable to arch design.

I found it very relevant to arch. Granted, its not exactly on target,  
but arch does have 1) a user interface and 2) users. 

address@hidden (Stephen J. Turnbull) wrote:
> Certainly, some of the principles are, but those also tend to be the
> principles that Tom (primus inter pares) explains regularly, some of
> them daily.  On the contrary, one of the book's main themes was "ask
> any five random people, they don't even need to be users yet, and do
> what makes them happy", which contradicts Tom's regular statement that
> even if everyone who posts to to arch-users agrees on a UI issue,
> that's of less importance than the instinct of any _one_ of several
> experienced developer/users.

Yeah. Random sampling was something he spent quite a bit of time on.
When I read the book, I didn't come away with that being a minor
subpoint. The main point that I came away with was that paying close
attention to the interface should be a high priority. 

I'm sure that the things I read and learn from have no use to such an
educated scholar as yourself. Without the benefit of your grand
education, I resort to self-educating myself from a wide variety of
resources -- often applying those lessons in completely unrelated areas.

Please don't allow me give you a mistaken impression that I think I
could teach you anything. You're way too smart to waste your time
reviewing things that I'm intersted. In fact, I'd be surprised if you
(Turnbull) didn't plonk me in punishment for wasting valuable moments of
your precious time. Your time is much more valuable proving to others
that you're some semi-omniscient being. 

(Turning way from Turnbull and back to the general audience) 

Seriously though, I've never thought too much about the importance of user
interfaces before, and I found the "book" (its a little short to really be
called a book) as a useful tool to think about interfaces for a while.

-- 
James Blackwell   
Try something fun: For the next 24 hours, give
Smile more!              each person you meet a compliment!

GnuPG (ID 06357400) AAE4 8C76 58DA 5902 761D  247A 8A55 DA73 0635 7400