Post A8LaZ7jfUHSVhWux1s by Macroz@fosstodon.org
(DIR) More posts by Macroz@fosstodon.org
(DIR) Post #A8KkUFSW9KLSafFWxU by alexbuzzbee@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T05:34:23Z
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Fundamental UX design question: How should users perceive applications? Should they be distinct entities? To what extent should they blend into each other and the larger system? Is it better for applications to quietly add features to other parts of the system or for it to be obvious which application is responsible for each thing?
(DIR) Post #A8KnEjyDF2CuRrN5qS by like50bears@shitposter.club
2021-06-16T06:05:31.015831Z
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@alexbuzzbee By calling it "UX" you've already lost the path to righteousness. You make tools. Your tools should be easy to use, and obvious in how they work. Tools should interoperate with other tools when the user wants them to, and each tool should be responsible for it's little part. When things break, it should be obvious which tool in the workflow is breaking, and how it's breaking.
(DIR) Post #A8KoB6abImfNOd9pz6 by aku@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T06:16:01Z
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@alexbuzzbee I think it’s a question of who you ask: The companies that provide the OS want a unified experience, the companies that produce apps don’t want their app to be forgotten in a sea of similar looking apps. Having your app look like the OS itself and by extension all the other apps is a marketing nightmare.
(DIR) Post #A8KwAqFOrOV8LVcuAK by alcinnz@floss.social
2021-06-16T07:45:36Z
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@alexbuzzbee Personally, I prefer to have the apps blend into the OS. I find, at least when elementary does it, it makes it easier for me to mentally switch between apps.Then again, I do see nuance here regarding each app's goals & whether it's just a matter of how good my defaults are. But if your goal is to place your business's branding on my phone's homescreen, no thanks!
(DIR) Post #A8LaIbULc6lF3TsFyy by alexbuzzbee@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T15:15:00Z
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@like50bears When I say user experience, I mean literally "how you experience/perceive the process of using the tool/application/system/component," taking everything into account; I do not mean some kind of marketing-driven design. Not noticing that you are using something at all is a user experience, as is what you describe.Labeling things good or bad based on what words are used to describe them is not really productive.
(DIR) Post #A8LaZ7jfUHSVhWux1s by Macroz@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T12:46:47Z
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@like50bears @alexbuzzbee I agree in that tools (i.e. applications) should definitely interoperate and not hold the user hostage. The user experience transcends individual applications. Or at least it should be able to. Like in Unix philosophy we prefer tiny utils that are composable.As far as what is an appropriate "little part", well it depends.
(DIR) Post #A8LaZ8DRhZHJBsqjRY by Macroz@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T12:49:46Z
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@like50bears @alexbuzzbee Branding and calling the use of something an experience is often in conflict with efficiency. The tool should fade away and the application of it to be in focus. I.e., if I'm making a wooden box, I want the hammer to just do its job of nailing something for me. Time and time again. I am working on achieving a goal. I can be delighted by a great hammer but it should not try to do too many things or have too many frills. I'll buy more from the brand that works well.
(DIR) Post #A8LaZ8hDur66gEmVrE by alexbuzzbee@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T15:17:17Z
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@Macroz @like50bears To clarify, when I say user experience, I mean literally "how you experience/perceive the process of using the tool/application/system/component," taking everything into account; I do not mean some kind of marketing-driven branding-based design. Not noticing that you are using something at all is a user experience, as is Unix philosophy composition.Labeling things good or bad based primarily on what words are used to describe them is not really productive.
(DIR) Post #A8Lf09V3R3lkoBE3f6 by alexbuzzbee@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T16:07:45Z
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@Macroz @like50bearsIn-Reply-To: https://shitposter.club/objects/9e056daa-6d11-4b37-aa9a-d6ff66eb5821"Don't worry about user experience" seems like bad, or at least unclear, advice. "The user experience" is everything that makes a tool pleasant or frustrating to use. How it gets input, how it takes direction from the user, where it sends output, what formats it uses, all of those are part of that. Not worrying about being nice to use seems like a very questionable policy.
(DIR) Post #A8Lf9oaQ2uyYqHLIga by alexbuzzbee@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T16:09:30Z
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@Macroz @like50bears And even the environment mechanisms that allow using tools in a workflow have their own "user experience" that has to be considered. Pipelines are very different to use from copy-paste. It's important that those pieces are nice to use as well.
(DIR) Post #A8LhoIpbDQak8WsQBU by like50bears@shitposter.club
2021-06-16T16:39:25.527729Z
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@alexbuzzbee What's unclear about "Don't worry about user experience"? Just build the tool using the usual engineering principles you already know: "keep it simple, stupid" and "do one thing and do it well" and all that. You can call it bad advice if you like, but you'll come around eventually.Fediverse, please join me in prayer for our misguided brother, may he find the Good Path again soon.
(DIR) Post #A8LiRCXEYh4Lu2poQa by alexbuzzbee@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T16:44:11Z
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@like50bears @Macroz Those things literally are user experience design though. Whether you call it the Unix philosophy or software engineering principles or good UX doesn't matter in the slightest. Being irritated because some different words than you're used to have been applied to it is completely unproductive.
(DIR) Post #A8LjxTD8C4zAqJNn5E by Macroz@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T17:02:43Z
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@alexbuzzbee maybe you don't mean it yourself but my industry experience tends to say people have apps be silos and designers design for users to stay inside the silo. They want even a distinctive memorable and delightful experience but it's far from whole system optimal. Unfortunately so in my experience. I think the labeling was nomen est omen.
(DIR) Post #A8LkGxzRytPPnzHR6u by alexbuzzbee@fosstodon.org
2021-06-16T17:06:58Z
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@Macroz The term "user experience" has been horribly abused to mean that kind of thing, but its plain meaning is still valid.
(DIR) Post #A8LnpsrvJWuDv46KUy by like50bears@shitposter.club
2021-06-16T17:46:56.486456Z
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@alexbuzzbee @Macroz Unix philosophy != software engineering principles != UX, we have different words because they mean different things.
(DIR) Post #A8MObxAWE7nNVO1Gj2 by alexbuzzbee@fosstodon.org
2021-06-17T00:38:50Z
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@like50bears @Macroz I'm not saying that they're the same things. I'm saying KISS and do one thing and do it well and so forth are also good UX in addition to being Unix philosophy and engineering principles.What I'm saying is if you care about what you build being understandable and usable, that's UX. You have to care about UX to build good software. Not necessarily explicitly, but user experience is an inherent part of software. You can't not have it unless you never interact with users.