kde-usability FAQ

Ellen Reitmayr ellen at kde.org
Wed Mar 15 17:16:30 CET 2006


hey scottie - cool! :)
thanks a lot.

how much time do we have to send you corrections/additions? that means: when 
do you want to launch it?

cheers,
/el



On Wednesday, 15. March 2006 01:20, Scott Wheeler wrote:
> I talked some to Celeste about coming up with a FAQ for the, uhh, louder
> list. This is a rough draft.  It's pretty bad, but well, I'm not a
> usability person -- I just wanted to get things going.  Please send
> corrections / additions and I'll merge them in.
>
> It's probably easier to read at:
>
> http://developer.kde.org/~wheeler/kde-usability-faq.html
>
> -Scott
>
> ===
>
> * What is software usability?
>
> Wikipedia says:
>
> Usability is a term used to denote the ease with which people can employ a
> particular tool or other human-made object in order to achieve a particular
> goal. Usability can also refer to the methods of measuring usability and
> the study of the principles behind an object's perceived efficiency or
> elegance.
>
> Usability is closely related to the fields of industrial psychology and
> ergonimics. There is a wide body of literature on software usability as
> well as a number of established methods for evaluating usability and
> generally working on user-centric design.
>
> Ellen Reitmayr, of the KDE Usability project, recently did a chronological
> outline of some of the standard steps in usability evaluation:
>
> [this chart just won't work here -- see the html page]
>
> For already released software starting in the last column is common. For
> working to become integrated within the development of a project it is more
> useful to take note of the full spectrum of usability methods.
>
> * What is software usability not?
>
> Software usability is not graphic design or making things visually
> attractive. It's also not about personal opinions or first reactions to an
> interface. In the context of the usability list, it's important to note
> that software usability is not about making ad hoc suggestions to the KDE
> usability or development communities. The purpose of the list is to provide
> a place for discussion of usability, as defined above, interaction design,
> usability reports and so on.
>
> Those wishing to simply provide feedback should do so via the bug tracking
> system.
>
> * How do I report a usability issue?
>
> There are two broad ways of answering this question. The basic options are:
>
>  - File a bug via bugs.kde.org
>  - Do a usability report
>
> The first option is quite straightforward -- simply sign into bugs.kde.org
> and report the issue. Remember to keep in mind things like user context
> (i.e. what is the user doing or trying to do when the problem occurs?),
> screenshots can also be very helpful.
>
> The second option is more involved, but also often much more helpful. It
> assumes some familiarity with usability methods (which you can find out
> more about in the section below on Where can I learn more about
> usability?). Usually these reports incorporate and document the use of the
> methods mentioned above in the What is usability? section.
>
> A good example of employing these methods is available here. There are
> other reports available from the OpenUsability website, which works closely
> with the KDE Usability project.
>
> * What is appropriate for the usability list? What is the purpose of the
> list?
>
> As mentioned above, the purpsoe of the list is for discussing usability.
> This is not tantamount to posting percieved problems with interfaces,
> consistancy, etc. Posts which are of that nature will be redirected to
> bugs.kde.org. It is on topic to ask further questions about the methods
> above. One of the goals of the list, in addition to having constructive
> discussion on usability topics is to help promote general familiarity with
> usability and related practices. Generally, however, such requests for
> information should be kept separate from critiques.
>
> * Where can I learn more about usability?
>
> We're glad you asked. There are a number of useful links and publications
> on software usability and closely related fields:
>
> Books:
>  - The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman
>  - Usability Engineering - Jakob Nielsen
>  - The Inmates Are Running the Asylum - Alan Cooper
>  - ...
>  Publications:
>   - ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction
>    ...
>
> Online Resources:
>  - OpenUsability
>  - Tina Trillitzsch's Introductions to Personas (Blog 1) (Blog 2) (Slides)
>  - Ellen Reitmayr's Presentation on Usability in OSS (German)
>  - ...
>
> Additionaly, if you are in a university or professional training program
> there are often courses on iteraction design, human computer interaction,
> ergonomics, etc. If available, these courses can help introduce one to the
> theory behind software usability.

-- 

Ellen Reitmayr
KDE Usability Project
usability.kde.org
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