Re: [ubuntu-marketing] Better investigating the problems Windows users have with
Sridhar Dhanapalan sridhar at dhanapalan.com wrote: we don't pander to the it's not Windows crowd. These are the people who, whenever they try something else, expect it to behave exactly as they are used to in Windows. The result is that interfaces and behaviour become modelled after Windows, not after what is actually a better (more usable, efficient, etc.) design. The apps that Novell contributes to are classic examples: Evolution and OpenOffice.org are clearly designed to feel familiar to MS Outlook and Office users respectively. Most usability studies, from what I understand, focus on people using an app for a few hours while their progress is monitored. A few hours is hardly enough to adjust to a new design, and their biases from personal experience will no doubt play a large part in their reactions and feedback. Defending my idea :) 1) The person mentoring the beta tester can still decide what to submit as a bug report and what not - including this printer doesn't print correctly in Ubuntu but not including Konqueror uses single clicks instead of double clicks by default. 2) To a certain extent though, being similar to Windows _is_ a strength, as that will make Ubuntu easier to use for the majority of computer users. Especially similarity in the basic, everyday things. And perhaps the mentor should not filter too much, as this is probably exactly what is causing Linux to be attractive to geeks but less to non-geeks. On similar note, I think it would not be a bad thing if Ubuntu/Kubuntu had another three months of explicit beta-testing after the end of a development cycle - perhaps during the first three months of the next develpment cycle - as releases still have too many rough edges. I was rather shocked that a default installation of Kubuntu Edgy did not play MJPEG AVIs out of the box (ffplay from Edgy handled them without problems). Yes, I will file a report when I get round to looking at it more closely. I suspect that the six-month development cycle is too taken up with cutting edge stuff for proper stability beta-testing - especially as people who are afraid of breakage are advised to stay away until a release is made. Regards, Michael _ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ -- ubuntu-marketing mailing list ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-marketing
Re: [ubuntu-marketing] Better investigating the problems Windows users have with Ubuntu
From: Daniel Buch [EMAIL PROTECTED] Before we go and start a new site (i.e. usability.ubuntu.com) I'd personally like to hear others' thoughts on where usability feedback might best fit into the current family of Ubuntu sites. Clearly, the Forum is a gold mine (black hole ;-) ?) of usability commentary, but it isn't exactly a direct line to god (sabdfl.) We can collect all of the feedback we like, but it won't mean squat unless it gets back to the MOTU et al... plus there's the upstream. One of the easiest ways would be to create an information page (on spreadubuntu.com? :) for mentors wanting to recruit beta-testers and a thread on the Ubuntu forums where reports could be posted. I am assuming that the bug reports posted by the mentors would in the end be more important than the reports, and that the reports would be more informational. So having them on a forum thread rather than in a more formal place might not be such a problem - especially as the more recent ones will be grouped together automatically that way :) Anybody out there aware of usability studies being conducted by Gnome/KDE/Xfce/(name a desktop manager) developers? As I said, www.betterdesktop.org. Where does this fit into the Ubuntu-Marketing community? Is this a task for another team? I'm afraid you will have to answer that one... Regards, Michael _ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ -- ubuntu-marketing mailing list ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-marketing
[ubuntu-marketing] Better investigating the problems Windows users have with Ubuntu
Hello, I couldn't decide where the best place was to post this to. If you feel that this mailing list is not appropriate, and have an alternative suggestion, I would be glad to hear it. Some of you may have noticed that I posted this as a comment to Bug 1. When I read the other comments posted to that bug, most of them are on the lines of Ubuntu is so much better than Windows that if people don't use it, it must be a conspiracy. Personally, I think that while Ubuntu may really be better for those particular posters, it is probably not the case for many Windows users. Furthermore, I think that even more could be done to investigate why Windows users may have problems with Ubuntu. I would like to suggest the following idea. Ubuntu/Kubuntu users should be encouraged to get non-Ubuntu users to try out Ubuntu/Kubuntu for a bit (a few hours? days? As much as possible) and to produce a report about the problems and annoyances that they encountered. A forum or a place should be created where they could upload these reports, and they should be encouraged to create bug reports for as many of the problems as possible. This might help to address precisely the problems that put off Windows users. I really suspect that many (although not all) of the problems will be quite small and easily fixed. I think that the average Windows user does not expect to be able to install an operating system, and expects difficulties and problems when they try to do unfamiliar things, but does expect to be able to go about their daily tasks with no difficulties. See Novell's usability project - http://www.betterdesktop.org/ - for a similar project. This would also be a nice easy but effective way that non-programmer Ubuntu users could contribute back. If enough people took part, this might (or is that my wishful thinking?) have a significant effect on Ubuntu uptake, and as a side effect introduce the beta testers to Ubuntu. I am not subscribed to the mailing list, so it would be nice if you could CC me any answers. Regards, Michael _ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ -- ubuntu-marketing mailing list ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-marketing
