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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Fwd: Re: 3rd party apps and community
From:       "Aaron J. Seigo" <aseigo () olympusproject ! org>
Date:       2002-07-11 21:41:56
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thought this was an excellent email that those on the usability list may want 
to read .... it is bang on AFAIC

- ----------  Forwarded Message  ----------

Subject: Re: 3rd party apps and community
Date: Thursday 11 July 2002 12:34
From: Waldo Bastian <bastian@kde.org>
To: kde-cafe@kde.org
Cc: Ellis Whitehead <kde@ellisw.net>

On Thursday 11 July 2002 11:20 am, Aaron J. Seigo wrote:
> easier to use != simpler ... usability is related to comfort, a lack of
> surprises, learnability, reliability, rememberability... those sorts of
> things. simplicity is really just one small, specific tool to achieve those
> goals ...

Complexity is the easiest way to kill usability, but that doesn't mean that
making things simpler necasserily improves usability.
Enstein said it very well:
	"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler."
A good example of how complexity kills usability is the key configuration
dialog:

- From kde-nonlinux@kde.org today:
> I have another little suggestion.  At the little box that says
> `Current key'      [none]
>
> The dialog that comes up when you press the button (none in this case)
> is totally opaque to me.  There is no indication what any of it means.
> It's not at all clear that one just needs to press the X and then type
> whatever keys.  Further there is no way to tell what []multi-key and
> []autoclose boxes do.  In fact they seem to do nothing in my choices.
>
> Choosing C-E to start emacs with or without checking multikey seems to
> do exactly the same thing.

Ellis, are you around?
Cheers,
Waldo
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- -------------------------------------------------------

- -- 
Aaron J. Seigo
GPG Fingerprint: 8B8B 2209 0C6F 7C47 B1EA  EE75 D6B7 2EB1 A7F1 DB43

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler"
    - Albert Einstein
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