[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Usability Strategy Discussion
From:       Waldo Bastian <bastian () kde ! org>
Date:       2002-07-04 7:28:27
[Download RAW message or body]

On Wednesday 03 July 2002 06:41 pm, Robert Watkins wrote:
> >> Doesn't it concern you that developers are
> >> creating programs without an understanding
> >> of the subject matter?=20
> >
> >Why should that concern me?
>
> Dear Lord! Without understanding, at a minimum,
> the needs that a user would have and which the
> application is intended to fill seems a colossal
> waste of time. 

It's not where you go, it's the road you travel.

> If you _are_ working towards the Olympics and
> fail to learn the best techniques, enhance your
> existing techniqes, get feedback from people you
> trust and/or respect, don't be surprised if you
> don't get there. If you're just out for a good
> time, don't sweat it if you aren't making
> progress. As long as you're having fun, don't
> change.
>
> Similarly for Usability. If your whole goal in
> volunteering for OSS development is to have some
> satisfaction in affecting an appliction, then
> keep working the way you are. However, if you are
> interested in Usability, you have to get
> knee-deep in the subject to gain any benefit from
> it. Just calling a discussion about "Look at my
> new screenshot!" isn't appropriate as a general
> Usability topic.

Well, I'm trying to explain the situation as it can be found within KDE. Which 
percentage of KDE developers can be found on this list? 1%, 10%, 50% or 90%?
I would put my bet on 1%. That probably means that 99% of the KDE developers 
do not plan to get a degree in Usability this year. You can have an opinion 
of that, but it doesn't change the situation. Accept it.

Now, the people that _ARE_ on this list, _ARE_ interested in Usability. So I 
would like to think that the people on this are interested in moving 
Usability within KDE further along. I have tried to explain what motivates 
people to work on KDE. That's a given. We can't change that. The big variable 
here is you, us. What actions can _we_ take to improve usability in KDE, 
which actions have the highest return in terms of optimizing usability? How 
much time do you personally want to spend on KDE per week? How can you spend 
that time the best in terms of usability return on invested time?

I know what the textbooks say about the software development process, I know 
about CMM, the telecom company I worked for was at CMM level 3 and I think 
CMM is great. I also know that those things don't work that way wihin KDE. 
KDE is not a company, KDE developers are not employees yet those same KDE 
developers as well as the way in which those developers are organized are the 
core assets of the KDE project. So set the textbooks about software 
development processes aside, remember what you learned from them and then be 
creative in finding new ways of applying that knowledge in this completely 
different environment that is called KDE.

Now that's a challenge, isn't it?

Cheers,
Waldo
-- 
bastian@kde.org  |   SuSE Labs KDE Developer  |  bastian@suse.com

_______________________________________________
kde-usability mailing list
kde-usability@mail.kde.org
http://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-usability
[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]