Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
Activé mer., 04 mai 2022 14:41:28 -0400 Mercury Thirteen via Freedos-devel écrit > I had some spare time, so I took some liberties with Paul's text. Hopefully > I didn't slice-n-dice it too badly from your original intent! :) ... modified text folowing... > What do y'all think? I like it very much! ___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
I had some spare time, so I took some liberties with Paul's text. Hopefully I didn't slice-n-dice it too badly from your original intent! :) FreeDOS is a free re-implementation of Microsoft's MS-DOS, the de-facto operating system for many computers available in the 80s and 90s. As FreeDOS is open source, anyone can get the[source code](https://freedos.org/source/)and has the liberty to use, redistribute and propose modifications to it. Having already achieved its original goal of full MS-DOS compatibility, FreeDOS has since evolved past MS-DOS with many new features, such as APM power management, the FDNPKG network-enabled package manager, LBA large disk support, Long File Name support, as well as several tools and commands from the Linux world, such asgrep,cal,head,teeandless. FreeDOS is a complete operating system and, if so desired, can be installed over top of any operating system your computer currently has, replacing itand all of your datacompletely. Because of this, as opposed to installing directly on the computer you use daily, we recommend instead installing it into a "virtual machine" - a simulation of a complete computer system inside your existing PC - upon which you may[install FreeDOS](http://wiki.freedos.org/wiki/index.php/VirtualBox).[Emulators](https://www.freedos.org/links/)are available (and often totally free to use!) for all modern computer platforms which allow you to set up and configure these virtual machines. Alternatively, if you have an old and otherwise unused computer taking up space, you can[install FreeDOS directly on real hardware](http://wiki.freedos.org/install/)as well. FreeDOS comes packaged with a[base collection](https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/repositories/latest/pkg-html/group-base.html)of programs which duplicate the commands offered by MS-DOS and, as such, operates using a traditional text-based[command](http://wiki.freedos.org/wiki/index.php/Dos_commands)line interface. Like other DOS systems, FreeDOS does not include a graphical desktop by default, although for a more contemporary environment you can install one of the[graphical interfaces](https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/repositories/latest/pkg-html/group-gui.html)available. Of course every application available cannot fit in the default FreeDOS installation, but we have made available[a large collection of other programs](https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/repositories/latest/pkg-html/index.html)which provide features akin to those found on modern computers, and there are other websites which showcase[additional programs](https://www.freedos.org/links/)made to run in any DOS-compatible system, including FreeDOS. As FreeDOS provides 100% compatibility, you can even run any MS-DOS-era applications or games you already own. If you have questions or encounter problems while using FreeDOS, help is always available at the[FreeDOS Wiki](http://wiki.freedos.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page)knowledge base. If a solution cannot be found there, you may communicate with FreeDOS developers and users directly using the[FreeDOS Mailing Lists](https://www.freedos.org/forums/). Although FreeDOS has spent years of its life under test in real-world conditions, there's always the possibility of unintended behavior in any software. To aid in exterminating bugs, the FreeDOS project maintains a[list of known issues](https://www.freedos.org/bugs/)where you can report any bugs you may encounter. What do y'all think? Sent with [ProtonMail](https://protonmail.com/) secure email. --- Original Message --- On Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022 at 1:45 PM, Paul Dufresne via Freedos-devel wrote: > Precedently suggested web site should have at the beginning: > > "I know all this" links to the following: > > News (link to news) > > Let's talk ( https://www.freedos.org/forums/ ) > > Wiki ( http://wiki.freedos.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page ) > > Bugs ( https://www.freedos.org/bugs/ ) > > Gitlab (link to https://gitlab.com/FreeDOS ) > Github (link to https://github.com/search?q=freedos) > Ibiblio ( link to https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/ ) > Ibiblio What's included ( > https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.3/official/report.html > ) > Kernel ( https://github.com/FDOS/kernel ) > > The downloads ( https://test.freedos.org/download/ ) > > Other links ( https://www.freedos.org/links/ ) > > Visit web page for newcomers (link to previously suggested page)___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
On Tue, May 3, 2022 at 12:45 PM Paul Dufresne via Freedos-devel wrote: > > Precedently suggested web site should have at the beginning: >[..] This is all very helpful, thanks. I'll probably borrow some of your text suggestions when I make updates to the website. (I don't have time to make major changes to the website until later in May, so don't look for changes right away.) Jim ___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
Precedently suggested web site should have at the beginning: "I know all this" links to the following: News (link to news) Let's talk ( https://www.freedos.org/forums/ ) Wiki ( http://wiki.freedos.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page ) Bugs ( https://www.freedos.org/bugs/ ) Gitlab (link to https://gitlab.com/FreeDOS ) Github (link to https://github.com/search?q=freedos) Ibiblio ( link to https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/ ) Ibiblio What's included ( https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.3/official/report.html ) Kernel ( https://github.com/FDOS/kernel ) The downloads ( https://test.freedos.org/download/ ) Other links ( https://www.freedos.org/links/ ) Visit web page for newcomers (link to previously suggested page)___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
Replace: A mailing list is a group of people to which you can subscribe to (or unsubscribe), and every message one send to it is redistributed by email to every subscribed people. (Link to mailing lists). By: Mailing lists are handle by a program on our server that when it received an email to the associated address send it to every people that are presently subscribed to it. You can subscribe (or unsubscribe) by visiting (link to mailing-lists page).___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
I just done a better version... as it is small given the full new version here: FreeDOS is a free (both having the liberty to, and with no fees) to use, redistribute and modify reimplementation of DOS (mainly Microsoft DOS) that was often coming with computers in the 80s. By default, it does not come with a graphical environment, but rather you give text commands to see, copy, edit and execute files. Link: Introduction to commands. The files executed are often graphical programs more similar to what you can see on modern computers. Or they can be text-based programs (either that you manipulate with text commands like FreeDOS itself, or that allows you to move from fields to fields with tab key (or sometime even with the mouse) or to use the menus with shortcuts on the keyboard (or again sometime with the mouse). FreeDOS come with a lot of programs (Link to included programs categories) but it also allows you to run DOS programs you already own (like games) that were done to run in DOS when it was popular. We cannot include every programs by default in FreeDOS, but there is many websites that allows you to get programs made to be run in DOS and so in FreeDOS (link to sites having DOS programs). There is mainly two ways to install FreeDOS. The one we recommand is in what we call a virtual machine. Modern computers have (often free to use) programs that allows you to create, modify (add a file that would act as an hard disk, or a an .iso file that would act as a DVD in a DVD drive) or destroy simulated computers called virtual machines. The virtual machine manager programs allow then you to start a virtual machine that appears as a window with which you can interact with keyboard and mouse. (link to install in a virtual machine). If you have a real computer (maybe an old one) that you want to dedicate to FreeDOS, you can (Link install on a real computer). If you encounter problems while using FreeDOS, we have what is called a Wiki, which is like a website but which is easier for people to contribute changes. So it will probably have more information than the website (Link to the Wiki). You can also communicate with other users. We mostly communicate through mailing-lists. A mailing list is a group of people to which you can subscribe to (or unsubscribe), and every message one send to it is redistributed by email to every subscribed people. (Link to mailing lists). We also communicate through a web-based discussion program called Forum, but it is less used: (Link to forums). We also maintain a list of know bugs (link to bugs). As FreeDOS is free to modify, any one can get the source code (link to source code) and propose modifications to it.___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
Well, my first reaction was that a website and a wiki play very similar roles, and that maybe we should use just one of it. I guess I would prefer the Wiki (but you must make it relatively easy to get an account on it)... but website are not too bad if they are on GitHub or GitLab. Then they don't need you to give them permession to modify... they just need you to accept their suggested modifications. But HTML is a bit harder to edit. I then had the idea to spend about 15 minutes to do as if I was to write the website and came with the following: FreeDOS is a free (both having the liberty to, and with no fees) to use, redistribute and modify reimplementation of DOS (mainly Microsoft DOS) that was often coming with computers in the 80s. By default, it does not come with a graphical environment, but rather you give text commands to see, copy, edit and execute files. Link: Introduction to commands. The files executed are often graphical programs more similar to what you can see on modern computers, except maybe they often have less text fields because FreeDOS does not come with a default graphical environment where does are predefined, but there is also a lot of text-based interactive programs. FreeDOS come with a lot of programs (Link to included programs category) but it also allows you to run programs (like games) that were done to run in DOS when it was popular. There is mainly two ways to install FreeDOS. On a real computer, that can be a very old computer: (Link install on a real computer), or modern computers have programs that allows you to simulate a computer where a window allows you to interact with keyboard and mouse on the simulated computers, with simulated devices like hard disk, DVD reader, etc. (Link install in a virtual machine). If you encounter problems while using FreeDOS, we have what is called a Wiki, which is like a website but which is easier for people to contribute changes. So it will probably have more information than the website (Link to the Wiki). You can also communicate with other users. We mostly communicate through mailing-lists. A mailing list is a group of people to which you can subscribe to (or unsubscribe), and every message one send to it is redistributed by email to every subscribed people. (Link to mailing lists). We also communicate through a web-based discussion program called Forum, but it is less used: (Link to forums). We also maintain a list of know bugs (link to bugs). As FreeDOS is free to modify, any one can get the source code (link to source code) and propose modifications to it.___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
On Fri, Apr 22, 2022 at 6:05 PM Jim Hall wrote:
>
> I mentioned in February that I've been working on a new website
> redesign as a "back-burner" project for a while. I also shared that I
> was working with undergraduate students in Usability Testing, at the
> University of Minnesota and Michigan Tech University, to do a
> usability test of the "new" website.
>
> The students have been working on their usability tests over the
> semester. This week, the first group (MTU) presented their results.
>
>
> Brief background:
>
> The new website design was proposed to us for free by a professional
> website designer based in Germany. I modified the design slightly (the
> web designer wanted to change the colors and logo and some other
> things .. I changed these back) and I used that to create a
> mostly-working version of the new design at https://test.freedos.org/
>
> The student groups designed, executed, and analyzed a usability test
> of the test website from late February (or early March?) to mid April.
> The MTU students presented their results this week. (U of M students
> will present their results on May 3.)
>[..]
I had the date wrong; the U of M students presented their results
today, May 2. Here is my summary:
Two groups from U of M did usability testing on the new mock-up
website at test.freedos.org
Summary of group 1 results and findings:
Group 1 tested the new website with four test scenarios, which
included one or more scenario tasks. A "task" is where you give the
tester a brief context, then ask them to do something specific. A
"test scenario" is one or more related tasks grouped together in a
kind of "story." Their test scenarios were:
1. Find information about FreeDOS and how to use it
2. How to set up FereDOS
3. Download a version of FreeDOS
4. Find information about games, and find the FreeDOS email lists
They tested with 5 testers: 1 had used DOS in the 1980s and 1990s, 1
had used DOS in the 1990s, and 3 had never used DOS (only one of these
had heard of FreeDOS, but had not used it). Based on their usability
test, they made these recommendations:
1. The header links are confusing. The header links are "Wiki About
News Contribute Download [search]" but testers were confused by
several of these terms. "Wiki" was confusing. "Contribute" was
confusing. They recommend changing the header links to "About Forums
Help Download [search]". Note that "Wiki" becomes "Help" and
"Contribute" becomes "Forums."
1a. Testers didn't look for a "how to install" on the front page. They
expected this on the Download page. So we should move that link button
to the Download page.
2. Inexperienced users didn't know what a "virtual machine" was or how
to install FreeDOS in it. Since I usually recommend new users install
in a VM, I'll need to change that. They suggested adding additional
guidance specifically on installing in a VM.
2a. The "how to install" link points to a screenshots-based
walkthrough of how to install FreeDOS. Instead, they recommend linking
to a "how-to" video or article instead.
3. (similar to #1)
3a. Suggestion to add a "FAQ" somewhere in the website, probably in
the Help ("wiki")
3b. Leverage the content on the YouTube channel, and embed "how-to"
videos on the website so this information is easier to follow along
while doing it yourself.
Group 2 tested the new website with four test different scenarios,
which contained one or more scenario tasks. Their test scenarios were:
1. Download FreeDOS
2. Download a game from a linked website (I think this was a mistake-
this is testing someone else's website)
3. Find instructions to install FreeDOS
4. Find the FreeDOS email lists
Their findings were similar, even with their mistake on test scenario 2:
1. Update the links in the header. Their testers didn't want to leave
the FreeDOS website to visit the wiki, and wanted to find everything
on the FreeDOS website. Not sure how to tackle that one. General
recommendation seems to be to focus the wiki to become a "Help"
website, with easy to follow instructions for how to install, how to
use FreeDOS, etc. (I wrote articles about that for Opensource.com that
we can re-use here.)
2. Users can't find help very easily (I think because most of the
"Help" was on the wiki). They agreed with Group 1 that renaming "Wiki"
to "Help" might help users find this.
3. The FreeDOS site uses a lot of jargon. Some of the "jargon"
mentioned by testers includes "open source," "DOS-compatible,"
"bootable CD," "LiveCD," and similar terms. Most of the comments were
on the website (not a surprise, since they tended to avoid the wiki).
That will require simplifying the language on the website.
Group 2 also recommended a "FAQ" link, and opening off-site links
(like to the wiki or to other websites) in a new tab so these aren't
confused with being part of the FreeDOS website.
There was some discussion to make the wiki look more like the website,
and I commented that I'd been planning a wiki redesign someday, bu
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
A "Developers" link would be a nice place to showcase libraries or other topics of use to devs, showing how FreeDOS may be a perfect fit for deploying their next project/BIOS update/whatever. Sent with ProtonMail secure email. --- Original Message --- On Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 3:58 AM, Parodper wrote: > O 24/04/22 ás 21:56, tom ehlert escribiu: > > > how do I locate binaries (or even source) for fdisk, format, keyb, > > himem, (command and kernel are possible), edlin(the most ever relevant > > dos program), sort, find? > > Contribute -> FreeDOS GitLab > > > Maybe there should be a text under «Download» to link to this. Something > like «For expert users and developers» > > There should also be a section, under «Learn More», about what software > (from ibiblio and in the images) FreeDOS contains. That should include > info about FDIMPLES (which, IMHO, should probably have network > capabilities) and FDNPKG. Those are the easier ways to get sofware into > FreeDOS. > > Compare to the external archives under «Applications», for which there > is no info on how to get the software into FreeDOS, either under > physical (floppy disks seem to be hard to come by these days) or virtual > machines. > > Also, maybe there should be a way to access the HTMLHELP pages from the > front page. > > > ___ > Freedos-devel mailing list > Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel ___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
O 24/04/22 ás 21:56, tom ehlert escribiu: how do I locate binaries (or even source) for fdisk, format, keyb, himem, (command and kernel are possible), edlin(the most ever relevant dos program), sort, find? Contribute -> FreeDOS GitLab Maybe there should be a text under «Download» to link to this. Something like «For expert users and developers» There should also be a section, under «Learn More», about what software (from ibiblio and in the images) FreeDOS contains. That should include info about FDIMPLES (which, IMHO, should probably have network capabilities) and FDNPKG. Those are the easier ways to get sofware into FreeDOS. Compare to the external archives under «Applications», for which there is no info on how to get the software into FreeDOS, either under physical (floppy disks seem to be hard to come by these days) or virtual machines. Also, maybe there should be a way to access the HTMLHELP pages from the front page. ___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
Jim, I want to thank you for taking the work of Pat and carrying it on. You are not underappreciated. Especially all the developers, translators, etc. I was not understating what you have done. I was just implying that it is and never has been an easy to use OS for a novice. Your bullets prove that (I read that before). Bullet number 4 (four) is important but not for the survival of the OS. It would not attract new users. Platforms have changed. The compute of things has and is evolving to abstract. Nobody is going to care what hardware is running just as long as it can run your software --- just as FreeDOS is relying on Emulators; very few bare metal systems. FreeDOS might be embedded on a SOc to deploy firmware. However, the future of it for gaming is bleak. Nobody teaches this stuff anymore. On Sun, Apr 24, 2022 at 8:51 PM Jim Hall wrote: > > On Sun, Apr 24, 2022 at 8:37 PM Mark Olesen wrote: > > > > Just to chime in. Technically, FreeDOS is not for the novice. I > > wouldn't expect my wife or daughter to be able to install it and then > > figure out what to do with a prompt. > > > > Therefore, I suggest you try and understand your user base and gear it > > towards those individuals instead of trying to make it appear (mask) > > as a user friendly OS. > > > > > As a reminder, we conducted a user survey in 2021 to understand who > was using FreeDOS today. Quoting from the end of the survey page on > the wiki: (data is at the top of the page) > > > http://wiki.freedos.org/wiki/index.php/Survey/2021 > > [..] > > 4. What is your level of DOS experience? > > > > Not surprising to me, since I get a lot of emails from folks who clearly > > are experiencing DOS for the first time. > > > > I can see three "plateaus" in this chart: "beginner user" (6% are 1-3) > > "some experience" (25% are 4-6) and "more experienced" (68% are 7-10). > > > > My big takeaways from this survey are: > > > > (1) Most people use FreeDOS in 2021 for playing DOS games, running other > > DOS apps (work or home), writing new DOS programs, and doing some kind of > > "system" work (updating BIOS, testing systems, recovering systems). > > > > (2) A lot of people boot FreeDOS in a virtual machine, but there's a > > sizeable community of folks who run FreeDOS on actual hardware (such as > > "classic" collectors with XT/AT/'386/etc, and people running on post-2000 > > PC hardware). > > > > (3) Most (all?) who boot FreeDOS in a virtual machine are probably > > running a "FreeDOS-dedicated" virtual machine. If you're running FreeDOS > > on physical hardware, I'd guess you're probably dual-booting. > > > > (4) Most of the people who use FreeDOS are more experienced, but we > > shouldn't forget the "beginner" users or those with "some experience." > > > I mentioned in another thread when I first talked about the website > update that one of the reasons for the website refresh was to "head > off" some of the emails I get from new users asking for help. For > example, "I downloaded FreeDOS, how do I use it" or "can I run FreeDOS > on my Raspberry Pi" or "what do I type" or "what can I do with > FreeDOS." These folks have never used DOS before, but somehow found > out about FreeDOS and want to try it out. My guess is they discovered > FreeDOS by reading an article about it (I sometimes write about > FreeDOS for Opensource.com or other places) and/or are university > students learning about operating systems. > > My goal with the website refresh has been to first come up with a > design that works well for these "some experience" users, and that > also benefits the "expert" users. For the mock-up website that went to > usability testing, I thought the design was balanced for intermediate > and expert, with more help for intermediate users, with the assumption > that more expert users could get the rest of the way. > > Jim > > > ___ > Freedos-devel mailing list > Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel ___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
On Sun, Apr 24, 2022 at 8:37 PM Mark Olesen wrote: > > Just to chime in. Technically, FreeDOS is not for the novice. I > wouldn't expect my wife or daughter to be able to install it and then > figure out what to do with a prompt. > > Therefore, I suggest you try and understand your user base and gear it > towards those individuals instead of trying to make it appear (mask) > as a user friendly OS. > As a reminder, we conducted a user survey in 2021 to understand who was using FreeDOS today. Quoting from the end of the survey page on the wiki: (data is at the top of the page) http://wiki.freedos.org/wiki/index.php/Survey/2021 [..] > 4. What is your level of DOS experience? > > Not surprising to me, since I get a lot of emails from folks who clearly > are experiencing DOS for the first time. > > I can see three "plateaus" in this chart: "beginner user" (6% are 1-3) > "some experience" (25% are 4-6) and "more experienced" (68% are 7-10). > > My big takeaways from this survey are: > > (1) Most people use FreeDOS in 2021 for playing DOS games, running other > DOS apps (work or home), writing new DOS programs, and doing some kind of > "system" work (updating BIOS, testing systems, recovering systems). > > (2) A lot of people boot FreeDOS in a virtual machine, but there's a > sizeable community of folks who run FreeDOS on actual hardware (such as > "classic" collectors with XT/AT/'386/etc, and people running on post-2000 > PC hardware). > > (3) Most (all?) who boot FreeDOS in a virtual machine are probably > running a "FreeDOS-dedicated" virtual machine. If you're running FreeDOS > on physical hardware, I'd guess you're probably dual-booting. > > (4) Most of the people who use FreeDOS are more experienced, but we > shouldn't forget the "beginner" users or those with "some experience." I mentioned in another thread when I first talked about the website update that one of the reasons for the website refresh was to "head off" some of the emails I get from new users asking for help. For example, "I downloaded FreeDOS, how do I use it" or "can I run FreeDOS on my Raspberry Pi" or "what do I type" or "what can I do with FreeDOS." These folks have never used DOS before, but somehow found out about FreeDOS and want to try it out. My guess is they discovered FreeDOS by reading an article about it (I sometimes write about FreeDOS for Opensource.com or other places) and/or are university students learning about operating systems. My goal with the website refresh has been to first come up with a design that works well for these "some experience" users, and that also benefits the "expert" users. For the mock-up website that went to usability testing, I thought the design was balanced for intermediate and expert, with more help for intermediate users, with the assumption that more expert users could get the rest of the way. Jim ___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
Just to chime in. Technically, FreeDOS is not for the novice. I wouldn't expect my wife or daughter to be able to install it and then figure out what to do with a prompt. Therefore, I suggest you try and understand your user base and gear it towards those individuals instead of trying to make it appear (mask) as a user friendly OS. On Sun, Apr 24, 2022 at 3:27 PM Jim Hall wrote: > > On Sun, Apr 24, 2022 at 3:14 PM tom ehlert wrote: > > > > > 1. Browse the website to find where to download FreeDOS > > > > that's absolutely impressing. > > > > your testing goal is to 'download freedos' and you put a link to 'download > > freedos' on the first visible screen. > > > > as I understand, the result was less then 100%. > > > > have you tested this with people, or with chimpanses? > >[..] > > Tom, can you please not insult others? Your "chimpanzees" comment here > is intentionally insulting to testers. You can do better. > > It is enlightening what people click on during a usability test. In > the one usability test I observed, the tester clicked on the "Download > FreeDOS" link on the front page, which was correct. But on the > "Download" page, they seemed overwhelmed with the options (LiveCD, > LegacyCD, BonusCD, LiteUSB, FullUSB, floppy-only) so they skipped > ahead to the yellow box that mentioned how most people run FreeDOS in > a virtual machine. That box has links to different virtual machines, > and icons for each operating system that the VM runs on (for example: > VirtualBox runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux). And the tester I observed > said "well, I run a Mac, so I'll click on VirtualBox." > > This kind of feedback helps improve the website. > > > Jim > > > ___ > Freedos-devel mailing list > Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel ___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
On Sun, Apr 24, 2022 at 3:14 PM tom ehlert wrote: > > > 1. Browse the website to find where to download FreeDOS > > that's absolutely impressing. > > your testing goal is to 'download freedos' and you put a link to 'download > freedos' on the first visible screen. > > as I understand, the result was less then 100%. > > have you tested this with people, or with chimpanses? >[..] Tom, can you please not insult others? Your "chimpanzees" comment here is intentionally insulting to testers. You can do better. It is enlightening what people click on during a usability test. In the one usability test I observed, the tester clicked on the "Download FreeDOS" link on the front page, which was correct. But on the "Download" page, they seemed overwhelmed with the options (LiveCD, LegacyCD, BonusCD, LiteUSB, FullUSB, floppy-only) so they skipped ahead to the yellow box that mentioned how most people run FreeDOS in a virtual machine. That box has links to different virtual machines, and icons for each operating system that the VM runs on (for example: VirtualBox runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux). And the tester I observed said "well, I run a Mac, so I'll click on VirtualBox." This kind of feedback helps improve the website. Jim ___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
> 1. Browse the website to find where to download FreeDOS that's absolutely impressing. your testing goal is to 'download freedos' and you put a link to 'download freedos' on the first visible screen. as I understand, the result was less then 100%. have you tested this with people, or with chimpanses? now my goal to somehow locate on the freedos website: I have no intention to install freedos. how do I locate binaries (or even source) for fdisk, format, keyb, himem, (command and kernel are possible), edlin(the most ever relevant dos program), sort, find? give this to your students. Tom ___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
On Sat, Apr 23, 2022 at 5:02 AM Eric Auer wrote: [..] > It may be my German bad understanding of fashion, but: > > A professional designer donated a new website design and > the result was that in a test, 2 out of 5 topics were > almost impossible to find. That does not sound like an > "overall ... good" and professional product to me. This is a common misunderstanding of usability tests. Finding tasks that are difficult or impossible does not necessarily mean the design is bad. It depends on tester feedback. In this case, it seems most of the changes will be "tweaks" rather than "throw it out and start again." [..] > Why does the new download page REMOVE all other GOOD > to have links found on the old download page? Being > "how to install", "verify", "what's included" and > "read the readme", as well as "how to write IMG" and > a link to the individual package file archive? That was something from the proposed design, to put less text on each page. The web designer's proposed design moved the "How to install" link to the front page, so the updated design didn't include that link on the "Download" page. I thought it was an interesting change, and I hoped it might help point people to the install instructions. But see below - testers didn't look for this on the front page, they looked for it on the "Download" page. The other links for "verify," "what's included," "readme," etc aren't on the "Download" page in the test site because I was a bit rushed to complete the new test site before they started usability testing, and I knew "verify," "what's included," "readme," etc wouldn't be used for the usability test - so I saved that for later work. (Remember that I said this was a "mostly-working version" of the new website.) [..] > The current design focuses on "download" and "news", > while adding common other topics on the top menu bar > and social media (only as non-accessible graphical > logo links) and other things in the bottom menu bar. > > The new design largely preserves the menu bars, but > tucks away the news behind a small text link which > does not have any glitter added. > > While it is very nice and unusual that a project as > FreeDOS still has regular interesting news and is > not one of those retro projects which have not been > touched for years. So the news should get more shine. Moving the news updates off the front page to a separate "News" page was part of the proposed design. I wasn't a fan of it, but I figured "let's test it and see how well it works." >From the feedback, and listening to the students' presentation, it seems clear that a separate "News" page isn't the right way to do it. I agree with the recommendation to turn these into bullet points somehow, but I'd like to put these back on the front page. > Instead, the new design gives more spotlights to the > youtube channel, system requirements (which are rather > boring: it SHOULD run on every PC, but on very new PC, > you will need a VM or emulator to compensate the lack > of BIOS and, not mentioned in the new design at all, > almost every game will need those for sound anyway), > "about", games, application and programming, > > However, "about" just is an optional detour to reach > the games, application and programming pages, why? > With a rather short text about the why of FreeDOS, > with a typo "sofwtare" ;-) I just fixed the typo for you. :-) Almost everything you've mentioned about the front page was part of the proposed website design. I thought it would be interesting to have them tested for usability. Breaking out the "About" pages was one of my changes. While this usability test didn't show issues there, I don't think breaking them out like this is the right way to go. I attended one of their tests, and that tester got a little lost (not very lost, more *distracted*) with the "About" pages. So I'll find a way to streamline that, maybe put it onto one page. I'm not sure. I'll wait until the other student groups have reported their findings before I plan any changes. > The new "games" section links to several online > games collections, but does not provide hints on > the sound issue. And there could be a number of > shiny game screenshots on it as well :-) [..] Yup, I planned to add more screenshots to the "Games" section, but I ran out of time before the students needed to start usability testing. :-) > PS: Why does the start page say you need INTEL > CPU? How about AMD, Cyrix and all other brands? > Excluding ARM, Apple and Motorola, but still... The web designer proposed having a "system requirements" section on the front page, and I thought that was a good idea. For a while, a lot of people were emailing me to ask why they couldn't run FreeDOS (on bare metal) on their new Raspberry Pi. Or why they couldn't install FreeDOS on their new 2022 laptop. And the answer is because like any DOS, FreeDOS requires an Intel-compatible CPU and a BIOS. You can't boot any DOS on ARM, or on an Intel CPU that o
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
Hi Jim, hi everybody, sorry about being so late with the review. I hope the (rather critical, but of course not intended to be personal pouting & nagging) comments below still help. It may be my German bad understanding of fashion, but: A professional designer donated a new website design and the result was that in a test, 2 out of 5 topics were almost impossible to find. That does not sound like an "overall ... good" and professional product to me. The fact that your students commented that the website now looks like other websites about software sounds like "we are following a global trend to make websites look nicer while making them less usable"? :-p On the other hand, I guess it will be easy for you to make the important things easier to find on the news website, so we will get the best of BOTH worlds: New looks and an easy to use website. For me, it is always good to find the LIST OF PACKAGES with descriptions and versions quickly. At the moment, it only takes 2 or 3 clicks: "Download FreeDOS", then go to "What's included" and enjoy that packages are grouped by category in one large list, with each package name being a link to some HTML rendering of the LSM metadata. Your test tasks 1, 3, 5 are immediately answered by the start page of the current version, while the install instructions are in "download" and the mailing lists are in "forums", very few clicks away. In the new redesign, tasks 1, 2, 3, 5 are immediately linked on the start page, with 4 being hidden behind the two steps "contribute" and "join the forums" which is a code for "mailing lists" ;-) However, only 1 is one of the topics linked with an image on the start page, all others are not. Next, the new download page ONLY gives you download disks. Why does the new download page REMOVE all other GOOD to have links found on the old download page? Being "how to install", "verify", "what's included" and "read the readme", as well as "how to write IMG" and a link to the individual package file archive? All of those are very useful to read in context of downloading and I agree that other software websites also fail in providing this information in easy to find ways. But we should not follow that bad example! The current design focuses on "download" and "news", while adding common other topics on the top menu bar and social media (only as non-accessible graphical logo links) and other things in the bottom menu bar. The new design largely preserves the menu bars, but tucks away the news behind a small text link which does not have any glitter added. While it is very nice and unusual that a project as FreeDOS still has regular interesting news and is not one of those retro projects which have not been touched for years. So the news should get more shine. Instead, the new design gives more spotlights to the youtube channel, system requirements (which are rather boring: it SHOULD run on every PC, but on very new PC, you will need a VM or emulator to compensate the lack of BIOS and, not mentioned in the new design at all, almost every game will need those for sound anyway), "about", games, application and programming, However, "about" just is an optional detour to reach the games, application and programming pages, why? With a rather short text about the why of FreeDOS, with a typo "sofwtare" ;-) The new "games" section links to several online games collections, but does not provide hints on the sound issue. And there could be a number of shiny game screenshots on it as well :-) The new programming section looks like a quite useful collection of links to compilers, notably INcluding several freeware ones but EXcluding the open source DJGPP, why? Also, offering 3 Borland Pascal and 2 Borland C/C++ (you mistakenly called Turbo C 2.01 Turbo C++ 2.01, I think?) downloads next to DeSmet, Digital Mars, Smaller C and, oddly, PDcurses puts too much weight on Borland, I think. I certainly like Borland compilers, but it would be enough to give them 2 tiles on the new download page: One with all 3 Pascal download links and one with all C/C++ download links, to making the Borland offer look a bit more humble ;-) The new applications section starts with VisiCalc, AsEasyAs and Ability Plus (Office), which seems a bit of an arbitrary choice, then continues with links to 4 large DOS app archives combined with a link to Mercury's tiny archive and a link to a simple toolkit for caps and num lock, again a bit arbitrary in choice. I guess that is part of the new design being a reduced test edition for the moment, but the mix still feels odd. Nitpicking regards, Eric PS: Why does the start page say you need INTEL CPU? How about AMD, Cyrix and all other brands? Excluding ARM, Apple and Motorola, but still... ___ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
Re: [Freedos-devel] Update on website usability test
This looks way better! What an improvement over the current site! :) Sent with ProtonMail secure email. --- Original Message --- On Friday, April 22nd, 2022 at 7:05 PM, Jim Hall wrote: > I mentioned in February that I've been working on a new website > redesign as a "back-burner" project for a while. I also shared that I > was working with undergraduate students in Usability Testing, at the > University of Minnesota and Michigan Tech University, to do a > usability test of the "new" website. > > The students have been working on their usability tests over the > semester. This week, the first group (MTU) presented their results. > > > Brief background: > > The new website design was proposed to us for free by a professional > website designer based in Germany. I modified the design slightly (the > web designer wanted to change the colors and logo and some other > things .. I changed these back) and I used that to create a > mostly-working version of the new design at https://test.freedos.org/ > > The student groups designed, executed, and analyzed a usability test > of the test website from late February (or early March?) to mid April. > The MTU students presented their results this week. (U of M students > will present their results on May 3.) > > MTU usability test: (my summary) > > The MTU student group focused their usability test on these scenarios. > Each scenario involved one or more tasks: > > 1. Browse the website to find where to download FreeDOS > 2. Find instructions to install FreeDOS > 3. Find the FreeDOS wiki (the wiki was not part of the test - that's a > whole other cleanup project - but I wanted to know if people could > find the wiki) > 4. Find how to join the FreeDOS email list > 5. Find recent news about FreeDOS > > MTU used 5 testers (you need a minimum of 5 testers to get feedback > that's good enough to make design changes .. but we had other groups > doing usability tests too) who were between 21-29 years old, and rated > themselves as more technical users. > > Results: (my summary) > > 1. Browse the website to find where to download FreeDOS (3 tasks) > > Easy. Testers had little to no problems completing all three of these tasks. > > 2. Find instructions to install FreeDOS (2 tasks) > > Hard. Two testers were completely unable to complete either task. The > other three testers had trouble finding the install instructions (but > found them). > > 3. Find the FreeDOS wiki (1 task) > > Very easy. No issues here. > > 4. Find how to join the FreeDOS email list (1 task) > > Hard. All testers struggled with this task. > > 5. Find recent news about FreeDOS (1 task) > > Easy. Testers had little to no problem completing this task. > > > Additional comments (my summary): Testers thought the website reminded > them of other websites about software, so it felt familiar. But > testers also commented that the design seemed pretty minimal (this was > a mock-up that was 90% complete, so I'm not surprised by that). > Testers reported they could usually find what they needed, and the > website was fast, and they felt they had an overall "positive" > experience on the new website. > > Recommendations (my summary): > > * Make installation instructions easier to find: There's a "How to > install" link on the front page - this was going to be a button, but > it was just a link in the test website. However, testers said they > expected the "How to install" link to be on the "Download" page, and > they wouldn't have expected it to be on the front page. They also had > recommendations to change some other text, like replacing "What you > need" with a more direct call to action like "Get started with > FreeDOS." > > * Make the email lists easier to find: Testers said they expected > there to be a separate "Email list" link on the website, either at the > top of the page or in the footer. They eventually found it in the > "Contribute" page. Once they found it there, they said it made sense, > but that wasn't where they thought to look for it. > > * Add a "Home" button in the top navigation bar. Testers said they > didn't realize at first that the logo was a link back to the home > page. Once they tried clicking on it, they said the "logo as link" > made sense, but they would expect to find a link called "Home" > somewhere on the page, like at the top of the page. > > * Use "News" to describe what's new. The test site has a "News" page, > so they found it. But I think the recommendation here was that once > you clicked on the page, it was called "What's New" and not "News." > > * Add bullet points in the news page for new software updates. The > general comments here are that people don't like reading a lot of > text, so they'd prefer just to see text like "IA-16 GCC Toolchain And > Libi86 Library, Jan 2022 Version" or "Updated DWED Editor For DOS" as > "bullet points" and have some other way to show details. > > > __ > > My comments: > > Overall, the results are good. I'll need to update the des
