On May 02, 07 16:10:30 +0200, Martin Schmidkunz wrote:
All our project will be available on http://en.opensuse.org/UX
Let`s think big!
This is tempting. :-) Okay, you got me hooked. Our graphical user interfaces GNOME and KDE have been growing in functionality for quite a while. I still consider myself KDE-Beginner as I spend very little time in learning the GUI or checking out new features. I have established a screen layout of a few xterms and a browser, which has been working fine for my daily tasks for several years now. So, from a beginner perspective, I often experience difficulties operating the GUI itself. One typical problem is locating the correct settings dialog for the change I intend. Example: I know I can switch focus from window to window using Alt-Tab. What is the supposed route a beginner should take to locate the corresponding menue or dialog screen? In general, I experience lack of controllability with our GUIs. Many presumably simple tasks are quite complex (3 different dialogs interact for Alt-Tab) and often involve nondeterminisitic search methods (like asking an expert, or google). Is there a systematic approach on how to survive growing complexity? Aren't there some good concepts or paradigms out there that could be applied? The good old desktop metaphor no longer really works. I never had a desk with so many knobs and switches. Operating a Desktop more and more resembles an airplane cockpit. With airplanes, complexity is okay, because pilots are well trained experts for their user environment. Computer users are not. cheers, Jw. -- o \ Juergen Weigert paint it green! __/ _=======.=======_ <V> | jw@suse.de wide open suse_/ _---|____________\/ \ | 0911 74053-508 (tm)__/ (____/ /\ (/) | __________________________/ _/ \_ vim:set sw=2 wm=8 SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, GF: Markus Rex, HRB 16746 (AG Nuernberg) "Oral agreements are worth about as much as the paper they are written on." -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-ux+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-ux+help@opensuse.org