unity-design team mailing list archive

[James Jenner <james.g.jenner@xxxxxxxxx>]

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.