From kde-look Thu Jul 04 17:04:25 2002 From: Dave Leigh Date: Thu, 04 Jul 2002 17:04:25 +0000 To: kde-look Subject: Improving Reality X-MARC-Message: https://marc.info/?l=kde-look&m=102580226501303 On Thursday 04 July 2002 07:54, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > (2) Ease-of-learning is only one factor among many that makes an > interface great. Ease-of-use is another. They are not the same thing. > > And at all time, the most important factor must be: usefulness. It > doesn't matter how great your UI is, if the program doesn't do anything > useful, then no-one will use it. If the real world gives you barriers > and difficulties, why implement them in software? That is why text > editors don't duplicate type-writers *exactly*. If you make a mistake, > you don't have to throw away the entire page and re-type the lot from > scratch. Amen to that! That's why my friend's art gallery (really a shopping mall) sucked. Why should I have to laboriously walk from exhibit to exhibit (or store to store) when I can teleport between them with hyperlinks? Last week I had the opportunity of explaining how I design an end-user system to a client. Basically it boils down to this: 1. Thoroughly understand what the customer does. 2. Role play: put yourself in the customer's place and imagine doing his job. Fantasize how you could do it effortlessly using the computer. ("Effortlessly" means you concentrate on ONLY the primary responsibilities of your job, the computer does anything not involving a major decision, and otherwise it stays out of your face.) Write the fantasies down. 3. Come back to Earth and determine which of these fantasies are workable (feasible and affordable). At this point there's a bit of drudgework involving estimation of time and prioritization, integration and integration etc., but that's not important right now. The important thing is that you concentrate on OPTIMIZING THE WORKFLOW, and MINIMIZING SURPRISE, ("Surprise" is anything that gets in your face. Surprises are things like unrequested dialog boxes. Surprises interrupt your workflow, distract you, jar your nerves, and each one adds frustration. Surprises are bad.) Concentrate on smooth workflow and no surprises and everything else comes along for the ride. In this sense a well-designed system should be like the world's best secretary or butler or waitress. Unfortunately there are brainless dicks that take this to mean that you should have an VIRTUAL secretary, or butler, or cartoon character right there on the screen interrupting you at every point and scratching his ass when idle. They COMPLETELY miss the point! The very best waitress is prompt, efficient and instantly available, yes; but most of all she's unobtrusive. She's the one that keeps your glass filled without interrupting your conversation to do it. Top 5 great interfaces (IMHO, and in no particular order): 1. PalmOS 2. LyX 3. Harrison Ford's computer (image processor) in "Blade Runner" 4. HAL 9000 5. Damn. Couldn't think of a fifth. And two of THESE are fictional! What do YOU guys like? -- Dave Leigh, Consulting Systems Analyst Cratchit.org http://www.cratchit.org 864-427-7008 (direct) AIM or Yahoo!: leighdf MSN: leighdf29379@hotmail.com ICQ: 37839381 The person who can smile when something goes wrong has thought of someone to blame it on.