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Re: [Ayatana] Windows 8 and OS X Lion observations


On 9 June 2011 20:06, Thorsten Wilms <t_w_@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 06/09/2011 11:21 AM, James Jenner wrote:
Usability is about making the interface easy to work overall, not for
specific instances.

There are already somewhat varying definitions out there, no need to make things up on the go.

All the common takes on what usability is render your statement invalid. The ISO definition even says it is all about specific cases:
"The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use."


I really wonder how the quality of discourse could be improved here. I'm sure being more careful and informed about our terminology is a requirement.


Hmm I don't really see how that quote disagrees with what I have stated. I stated "is about" I didn't say it means. I was conveying a sense of what is involved not a specific definition. Maybe my choice of words made that particular statement unclear. Did you have any issue with anything else I wrote or just with that one sentence?

What I was trying to say was that for an integrated environment like a Desktop Environment (let's say this is the 'product') has individual use cases. However those use cases compete with each other. More screen real estate to enable better use of a word processor, spreadsheet or web page competes with usability of viewing the time, the utilisation of the CPU/Memory, the weather or viewing/selecting running programs, etc. As such usability in an integrated environment cannot be taken as isolated use cases as they affect each other.

As such usability for an integrated environment must weigh all the different use cases that affect each other. They cannot be looked at in isolation. For example making an application utilise the full screen will have a positive impact on usability of that application (if the application gains an advantage from this, eg web browser, word processor, spreadsheet, etc), however this would affect usability for changing to a running application, starting a new application or viewing system related information.

So determining which way to proceed depends on what the goals are of the Product. Based on this each use case for each type of role within the 'Product' can be assessed and weight to determine which is the best course to take.