kde-usability FAQ

[Celeste Lyn Paul]

We just started this last night in response to an awful trolling session on 
kde-usability.  Lets give it a week to let people comment on it, then we can 
post it somewhere, we can always update it later :)

On Wednesday 15 March 2006 11:16, Ellen Reitmayr wrote:
> 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.

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