Plasma User Types

[Celeste Lyn Paul]

On Saturday 12 April 2008 08:24:46 Michael Rudolph wrote:
> On Saturday 12 April 2008 11:17:23 Aaron J. Seigo wrote:
> > On Friday 11 April 2008, Michael Rudolph wrote:
> > > ruled that answer out in a previous blog post, Celeste, I think,
> > > that "everyone" is the description of the typical plasma user type.
> >
> > we are creating a framework upon which interfaces get built that get
> > used by the "everyone" set, but the group we keep in mind while
> > designing things does not need to be the "everyone" set. indeed, it
> > can be rather focussed. where that focus gets applied is the purpose
> > of this conversation.
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> thanks, Celeste and Aaron, for your clarifications. I'm still not really
> convinced.
>
> My point is, that all user types are important and that I don't really
> see the benefit of splitting them up. But I see dangers that this
> splitting up bears.
>
> When we start to look isolated at the socialite, for example, we will
> come up with personas and scenarios that may very well contain a
> twitter applet, some facebook or myspace integration and many other
> things. And if we do this, please excuse my strong words, we would have
> been better of with just doing a KDE3.6. No one, never ever, in his
> right mind never wants to use twitter, ever! People want to
> communicate! We have to look at what the user is actually trying to do.
> When we look at users in terms of their experience or their background
> on Linux or Windows, we are already way too deep entrenched in all the
> concepts that make current user interfaces so wrong.
>
> My favorite way to clarify this is hanging up a picture. Say you got
> that new Picasso for your dorm room and are driving a nail into the
> wall as your roommate walks in and asks what you are doing, standing on
> a ladder there. What do you say? - I'm putting this picture up. No one
> would say: I'm using a hammer. Because a hammer has a good user
> interface. The user doesn't even realize he uses one. He is completely
>
> concentrated on doing, what he is actually trying to achieve. If hammer
> designers went about as we do, they would create a docking station for
> the hammer, customizable decals for the shaft and exchangeable
> versatile heads, that make the hammer so fragile that you cannot slam
> it, but have to tenderly pet the nail. Users would be more occupied
> with their hammer, than with their actual task.
> You are also not aware of the ladder, you just use it. Because it has a
> good user interface. To use a KDE ladder, you'd probably have to log
> in, and you'd have to reboot for every rung you wanted to take.

The use scenario is displaying a picture.  The use case is using the hammer 
and putting a nail in the wall so you can mount the picture on it.  The 
environment is a college dormitory which could have either cinder block or 
dry composite walls.  

Given a different environment, maybe a hammer isn't available and you only 
have to work with sticky tacks.  That probably happens more often in an 
environment like a dormitory than a house.  Of maybe you don't have a ladder 
because you tend to be a tall person.  Or since you are young, you can pick 
up the 20 Kilo frame much easier than a little old lady.

All of these factors are going to experience of the picture because part of 
the experience is putting it on display.  Now, if you are a college poster 
manufacturer and 80% of your sales are from college kids, you probably aren't 
going to worry about how the 1% sales of little old ladies who can't pick up 
20 kilos and don't have a ladder are attempting to display your product.  
Anything you might do to accomodate that 1% customer base might effect your 
other customers and cause you to loose sales from your 80% customer base.

That is why come up with user groups, types, scenarios, and cases.  To really 
understand who is using our product, how, and why.  That way, we can improve 
the product, reach out to customers we want to include, and understand when 
we make a change to accomodate one user type, how it will effect other user 
types.

Sure, *anyone* can purchase the poster and frame and put it up on their wall.  
But unless the manufacturer had a specific interest in reaching out in to a 
specific customer base, why would they risk upsetting and losing primary 
customers?  The manufacturer isn't trying to please *everyone*, just their 
*primary* customers.

Also, to further clarify.  This user group information isn't mine.  I didn't 
make it up.  This is knowledge which exists within the Plasma project.  All I 
did was go about collecting it in a scientific way so the Plasma developers 
and sit down and discuss it so they can make use of it in future development 
of the product.

> I'm not sure I can spark a constructive discussion around that issue, so
> I'll just let you guys go on for now, but the important questions we
> need to ask ourselves right now, have little to do with experience or
> curiosity levels, in my point of view.
>
> michael
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-- 
Celeste Lyn Paul
celeste at kde.org
KDE Usability Project
usability.kde.org