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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: K-ARTIST: KDE HIG, CIG and AG
From:       James Richard Tyrer <tyrerj () acm ! org>
Date:       2004-08-27 4:54:55
Message-ID: 412EBE9F.6040405 () acm ! org
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kde-core-devel@kde.org wrote:

>>appears to me that it won't be of much help to produce User (Human)
>>Interface Guidelines that specify the use of "magic buttons" and hidden
>>configuration options that confuse users 
> 
> who said it would? to keep this discussion productive refrain from inventing 
> "facts" to argue about.

I am not inventing facts.  My statements are, as the often are, based on 
questions posted by users to the two support lists (kde & kde-linux), and user 
comments on BugZilla.

My point, which I probably didn't make clear, is that new guidelines, to be 
useful, are going to have to state that some of the recent changes made in the 
name of usability improvement (but which are are actually the opposite) are not 
allowed.

Specifically that hiding stuff is never a usability improvement, it just makes 
it harder to use -- organizing stuff in a logical and consistent manner is what 
improves usability.  So, hiding stuff in a unique way is probably the worst from 
a usability perspective.  I didn't/don't think that guidelines were needed to 
realize this, but that doesn't mean that they are a bad idea either.

--
JRT
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