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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Participation Primer (was Re: Revamping Konqueror)
From:       Celeste Lyn Paul <celeste () kde ! org>
Date:       2006-10-02 16:00:13
Message-ID: 200610021200.13728.celeste () kde ! org
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On Monday 02 October 2006 11:13, Yanis Kekatos wrote:
> After these conversation I (others here too) am(are) very reluctant to
> put some effort to in order to improve the KDE's usability.
> To put in another way: 98% of people in kde-usability are not KDE
> developers and doesn't have any other connection with KDE. So they can
> talk for years here, but no issues are addressed in KDE.
> welcome to the reality

Many people "subscribed" to kde-usability are not really "involved" in the 
Usability Project.  There is a lot of activity in the KDE Usability Project 
in itself, it is just not through this channel.

If the list developed more well-thought out proposals for design changes, I 
doubt the developers would ignore it.  The fact is that many of the arguments 
here are weak or never fully materialise to something a developer can use. 
Our job is to conceptualize and translate ideas in to a specification the 
developer can implement.  We cannot expect the developers to be able to 
implement our conceptual designs.  It is not that they are not smart enough 
or do not have the capacity to do so, it is simply not their job and many of 
them have other skills than in interface design.

You may notice some design ideas materialize in usability reports posted here.  
Reports are one of many different ways we can help communicate our 
recommendations to developers.  These kinds of reports also hold some kind of 
credibility because they are (mostly) finalized and refined for consumption, 
unlike the threads in mailing lists.  Posting reports to the list provides an 
opportunity for peer-review which is important in a F/OSS community.

No matter what the format or method of delivery, essential information must be 
present when proposing a design:

Problem
-- What is the problem
-- Why it is a problem
-- How this problem was determined (methods: user testing, expert review, 
etc.)

Suggestion
-- How your changes effect the design
-- Pros and cons to the design proposal
-- (Before and after) screenshots

Justification
-- Literature or good design examples which support your claims and proposals

Packaging
-- Website, well thought out email, or document attachment developers can take 
away and reference

~

But above all, you have to be a knowledgeable usability engineer or interface 
design in order to have strong arguments and credibility.  Usability is a 
craft and it takes practice in order to be good at it, just like software 
development.  That is not to say those new to usability cannot participate 
and provide good input, it is just that your radical arguments will not have 
as much weight as those provided by veterans.  The veterans are not always 
correct either, however they are less likely to make 

The more you learn, the more you realise how little you know.

Cheers, 

~ Celeste

-- 
Celeste Lyn Paul
KDE Usability Project
usability.kde.org
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