10.000 points.
El 04/02/2008 12:13 a.m., Roger escribi?: > <snip> > For that matter, there is no perfect layout design -- at some > point you must say, "This is good enough, it meets my standards of > quality, but I have learned something with which I can make the next > design better." Thus it has been with Scribus. > </snip> > > <snip> > Many of the complaints we hear about "why doesn't Scribus do > such-and-such like AppX?" really relate to us being creatures of habit. > </snip> > > I would add also the reluctance to learn, or fear of learning a new AppX > (which > produces the same result ) with a different UI. > > An example close to home for me is my daughter and her learning Blender3d. > Dad, why doesn't blender do this or that, --- It does, like this. > I can't find the nnn funcion ---- its here. > Why aren't there any icons, yadda , yadda, yadda. ---- It doesn't need them, > it > uses hot keys. > And it wasn't until she began using 3dmax that she realised how easy Blender > actually was to use. > > I used MS Publisher until I found Scribus and my workload eased once I knew > Scribus. > > My point is that Scribus has a good UI, it is clear and unobtrusive. > My daughter, who has never used Scribus did an explanation sheet for me in 10 > minutes. > Simply because she has no fear of different UI's. > > Thank you Greg and Craig > Your explanations are of great help. > > Roger > > > My daughters comments are below: > I use on average, 15 completely different applications every day, and and push > them to their limits, yesterday I found that I could > model for a project, in Blender in 2 hours, where in 3dmax and maya its double > or more time because the functionality is completely different and the UI is > much more complex. The blender UI is far easier and less time consuming, less > mouse intensive than any other proprietary software. > > I have spent a lot of time with user interfaces due to my university course, > where I study how games are created and how the interaction works with those > who > "use" the application. The UI of any application is vital to how the user > uses > the application. The way the UI looks and feels depends on functionality. This > functionality is dependant on the user. If the user finds the UI difficult or > is > too many mouse clicks away from performance, the user tries to find a more > "basic" or "simplified" way of making the program work. > > Most applications are bent on the "mouse clicks away from performance", they > feel that the more clicks they make the better off the user will be. But > sadly, > this is not the case. During my studies I found that a meager 10% of any > application is used at any one time and the remaining program is gone to > waste. > This is due to UI. > Most major applications, for example, Studio Max, have menus - menus, menus > and > more menus - and the user has to find themselves immersed in these menus > before > they actually can use the program. > Menus are the bane of any applications existence, they are unnecessary in > their > present form and fill up much needed work space on screen. > To do away with the current menu system will be a leap forward in UI > development. > > Menus can be changed to an interactive dynamic pop-up, like in Blender when > you > hit Space Bar, or in Bryce where each object has a small vertical "box" menu > on > the right side made up of four 10x10px squares and each has a pop-up that > appears when you click on it. With Bryce, the user must be coherent with what > each "box" does, although the name is clearly marked on the top of the dialog > box that appears, this makes the workspace clutter free. > > Basically, what UI developers can ask themselves is : > > 1. Are we making a user friendly piece of software? - If so, then the > application must appear friendly. (not necessarily icons) > 2. Do we want only 10% of our hard effort to be used? - No, then become > dynamic, > use the all technologies available to create program dynamics. > > We all have had experience in word dynamics, where you're typing something in > Open Office and the remainder of the word suddenly appears highlighted in > blue - > and Wow! how did it know I was going to type that? Applications need menu > dynamics, like that. > The application should not be annoying - like in Microsoft Word where the > little > yellow dog appears and suggests something ridiculous like "are you typing a > letter?" but something more advanced, more user friendly, more upbeat and up > with the times. > > Each application needs to read what the user is doing at the point in time > that > the user is doing it. 'Dynamics'. And show the alternate routes to getting the > most out of the application in the less amount of time. > > Basically, the way games are going now is that they are pre-reading the human > mind and the AI characters choose to act in a way that "prevents", "deters" > and > "suggests" a better route to the players character. This technology needs to > be > included in software. This is what is neglected in applications. The > technology > is there for games, why can't it be used in applications? > > In reality it doesn't matter what the UI looks like, simply because the ones > who > use it will become accustomed to it over time. It seems as though many > programs > have 'all of the same problems', and this is because all UI's are based on > the > "fundamentals" of program layout and not on "how does the user actually use > it". > > Thanks > Sonia > > A simplistic instance that came to mind with Scribus was: > Open a new document, a popup says (T)ext (I)mage; (G)et, (A)ppend, (E)dit > depending on which selection is made opens the appropriate editor or files. > If text is placed in a text box and a spell or other error is apparent the > word/s is/are highlighted, the editor opens and the highlighted word offers a > list of alternatives with a possible recommendation for replacement . Just > this > alone removes a number mouse clicks. The 'requestor' asks the user to enter > distances from page borders and other items or 'move with mouse'. then pop up > a > 'requestor' to enquire about locking, grouping, etc once the page is done. > > If an image is placed near a text box: The 'requestor' shows the current > distances from text and page border and asks about the appropriate > relationship > questions such as distance from text, page borders, scale to frame size, etc. > > Mouseover a placed filled text box or image box a pop up 'requestor ' asks > (E)dit (T)ext (I)mage. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Scribus mailing list > Scribus at nashi.altmuehlnet.de > http://nashi.altmuehlnet.de/mailman/listinfo/scribus > >
