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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: bikeshedding by a list veteran
From:       Scott Wheeler <wheeler () kde ! org>
Date:       2006-03-14 19:47:11
Message-ID: 200603142047.11375.wheeler () kde ! org
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On Tuesday 14 March 2006 18:26, Janne Ojaniemi wrote:

> Well, there are "users", and then there are "experts". Naturally the
> experts know more about usability than mere users do. But that doesn't
> mean that the users couldn't have valuable input to give. What could
> happen is that some "normal" users makes a suggestion, and provides
> rationale for the suggestion. Some discussion about it follows, and the
> coders and usability-people start to think "you know, that actually makes
> some sense". The original suggestion does not have to come from some
> expert in order to be worthwhile. Not all suggestions from "normal" users
> are automatically worthless. And not all suggestions from "experts" are
> automatically greatest things since sliced bread.

There are two main problems with this:

- Recognition.  Let's say I'm a KDE developer and want some concrete usability 
and I'm clueless about the field.  I get 50 suggestions here.  Which are the 
informed ones?  If the developers can't assume that this is a place to get 
sound usability advice then the list basically become just a suggestion box, 
which is largely ignored for the next reason:

- Time.  There *are* good suggestions here, but they get lost in the noise and 
developers don't have the time to wade through them to find them.  Most KDE 
developers spend several hours a day reading mail.  If the content of a list 
isn't of a certain level of relevance it's simply not read.

I just glanced at the subscribers list.  There are about 350 people on the 
list and only about a dozen of them (roughly) are KDE developers.  I count 
less than that of people that I know to be usability experts.  I'm not saying 
this stuff just to be an ass; I want this list to be useful, but the fact 
that by and large it's not even read by developers indicates that there's a 
problem -- right now the "normal users" outnumber the developers and 
usability experts by a factor of more than 10 to 1.  Basically the process 
you describe is what's been tried and it's pretty clear that it's not 
working.

> If this list is meant for just "experts" so they can provide feedback and
> suggestions to the project, why are "normal" users allowed to post
> messages here? Make this a closed list to cut out the noise. Or
> alternatively: close the list entirely, and use openusability.org alone,
> and be done with it.

The thing is, "experts" aren't a separate breed of people.  There's no reason 
that "normal users" can't become "experts".  That's in fact where we get most 
of our developers from.  This list can become a place for people to make that 
transition, but currently that doesn't happen partly because there's not a 
lot of clear technical leadership.

Per your points above, no, spending some time studying usability doesn't make 
your suggestions fundamentally great, but it can give a framework for 
explaining, understanding and qualifying those suggestions and often it makes 
it clear why certain things just aren't good ideas.  In a nutshell, it 
improves the miss rate significantly.  I don't know that everything that 
Ellen posts for instance is going to be ground breaking and wonderful, but I 
know that on average there's a much better chance that it won't be plain 
wrong.

Fundamentally that's what builds trust and as Rich said once, and I think he 
was spot on, "Nobody will trust 'usability'.  We might trust individuals."  
KDE and all OSS communities are built on people trusting the input of other 
people.  Showing yourself to be knowledgeable in a field that you're giving 
advise on is one of the things that builds that trust.

Cheers,

-Scott

-- 
The three chief virtues of a programmer are: laziness, impatience and hubris.
--Larry Wall
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