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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Who are our users?
From:       Ian Wadham <iandw.au () gmail ! com>
Date:       2014-04-25 7:22:33
Message-ID: C06959C0-4F96-4F21-992A-D9AA20612B54 () gmail ! com
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On 25/04/2014, at 1:07 AM, Shantanu Tushar Jha wrote:
> Each of us keep an idea about our target users when we write KDE software, be it \
> our workspaces, our applications or anything. From recent threads on the list, I \
> have started doubting if the ideas I have in mind have been correct or not all the \
> years I've been in KDE. So, I started asking myself about what my answer would be \
> to "of all users of KDE software, what type of users are the majority?".

Doubt and self-questioning are the beginning of enlightenment … :-)

> ** When I look at a desktop[1] computer users today, I categorize them[2] as-
> 
> == Casual users ==
> These users primarily want their computer to do a set of tasks, and do it as soon \
> as possible. Whatever it takes, they *try* to spend the least time on the computer.

I think you have these guys wrong.  They are not necessarily "casual".  Some spend
hours a day in front of a screen.  And they are not necessarily "task" oriented, \
unless they are paying bills, doing some on-line banking or shopping or running a \
small business.

> == Advanced users ==
> These users are similar to casual ones in the sense that they want their work done \
> as soon as possible. However, they go the extra mile to figure out ways in which \
> they can optimize their workflow or use some software cleverly. This way they are \
> actually able to get more done.

Do you include here people who see a computer as a means to an end,
rather than an end in itself?  I am thinking of architects, designers, musicians and
film makers, for example.  I see myself as one of these.  My goal is to develop
software for KDE, but I am not greatly concerned about which OS/desktop I use.

> == Power users ==
> These users generally use their computer for a even broader set of tasks and will \
> try to solve each and every real world problem using software on their computers. \
> Something that is very important for such users is the software to be highly \
> customizable to suit their style of working. They will juice out each and every \
> feature of the software to get the maximum benefit they can. Time is usually less \
> of a problem for these folks, however they are also very picky about choosing a \
> software that meets their needs.

Are these people seeing the computer as an end in itself?

> == Students, employees on their company-provided computers ==
> This category will actually have users from all of the above. However, there is a \
> difference in the sense that they will not be the ones making the choice on what OS \
> they will be using. The choice will usually be made for them by their schools, and \
>                 companies respectively.
> ** Now, given the above set of users, going by only my observation and experience, \
> the Operating System choice looks something like this- 
> == Casual users ==
> most of them will use Windows as it still is the most popular among similar people,

Popular maybe because there has been no choice.  Most computers you see in
shops already have Windows installed.  And I guess people like to follow the crowd
and not be the only member of their group who has something different.

> some of them will use OSX - mostly people who can afford an Apple computer

I don't think Apple computers are significantly more expensive any more --- not for
several years, not since the iPhone and iPad appeared.  Apple do not want to
compete unevenly with themselves ...

Also I think people (your casual users) are migrating to tablets and phones in \
droves. They do almost everything such a user wants, are cheaper and are much easier \
to set up and use.  Even my four grandchildren, aged 3 to 8, are using them … :-)

> == Advanced users ==
> The number of people using Windows will be a bit higher than the number of people \
> using OSX, followed by a small fraction using a Linux distribution 
> == Power users ==
> There will be some Windows users who install lot of tweaking tools, and quite some \
> OSX users with the same pattern. However, most of these users will be using a Linux \
> distribution (or BSD etc) with a choice of a desktop environment, email client etc) \
> because they find the ease of customization and the feeling of control of the whole \
> system. Now, just in Power users, there will be a huge variety of distros and DEs \
> that people will choose. When I think about DEs, (again this is only from \
> experience and blog posts on the Internet) people who choose KDE do that because we \
> offer *lots* of features and the maximum level of customization when compared to \
> any other DEs. 
> So, that was my attempt at recollecting my thoughts from the last few days. I'll \
> love to hear what you guys think about it - is it close to the reality? Or, did I \
> get it all wrong? Or, there's just no way to be even remotely sure?

You can only find this out by observation and collecting evidence and by meeting
actual users.

For me, this is one of the greatest difficulties of being in the KDE community.  You
very rarely meet end-users and find out what they think of your work.  Bug reports
and complaints from knockers can be de-motivating, unless you have developed a
thick skin.  Before I stopped work, I would meet end-users regularly.  I really miss \
that.

> This it will help me a lot as a KDE contributor, to make sure the software I write \
> is a delight to our users. 
> [1] and laptops, netbooks etc, excluding mobile devices though
> [2] and I am no usability expert as well, so I can be wrong about user profiles
> 
> Cheers!
 
Thanks for trying to reach out …

All the best, Ian W.

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