Dolphin7 and HCI (Human–computer interaction)
I have no doubt of that technical bugs will be solved, sooner or later...
But the main problem with this BoonEx product still has never been solved, on the contrary this problem is growing worse... This is the HCI (Human–computer interaction - Software ergonomics).
For example, most of the users they like to customize their profile will search in the profile submenu... Who will search in the profile Actions menu block (which has to be renamed Interactions) ???
To multiply the number of menus (main navigation, submenu, actions... and now this floating thing). to multiply the kind of pictures (profile, shared, album, avatar...) or using esoteric labels to name buttons or fields is certainly not a solution, but just getting these ergonomics problems worse.
Andrew asked us to report stupid things... As for me I'd like to denounce him for the opposite reason: Andrew is too clever to figure problems that end users (members of Dolphin sites) with an average or less than average IQ could have when browsing such sites ! :-)
If you have any remarks or suggestions to improve Dolphin7 HCI, please post your comments here ;-)
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Principles of User Interface Design are intended to improve the quality of user interface design. These principles are:
- The structure principle: Design should organize the user interface purposefully, in meaningful and useful ways based on clear, consistent models that are apparent and recognizable to users, putting related things together and separating unrelated things, differentiating dissimilar things and making similar things resemble one another. The structure principle is concerned with overall user interface architecture.
- The simplicity principle: The design should make simple, common tasks easy, communicating clearly and simply in the user's own language, and providing good shortcuts that are meaningfully related to longer procedures.
- The visibility principle: The design should make all needed options and materials for a given task visible without distracting the user with extraneous or redundant information. Good designs don't overwhelm users with alternatives or confuse with unneeded information.
- The feedback principle: The design should keep users informed of actions or interpretations, changes of state or condition, and errors or exceptions that are relevant and of interest to the user through clear, concise, and unambiguous language familiar to users.
- The tolerance principle: The design should be flexible and tolerant, reducing the cost of mistakes and misuse by allowing undoing and redoing, while also preventing errors wherever possible by tolerating varied inputs and sequences and by interpreting all reasonable actions.
- The reuse principle: The design should reuse internal and external components and behaviors, maintaining consistency with purpose rather than merely arbitrary consistency, thus reducing the need for users to rethink and remember.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles_of_User_Interface_Design
Keep in mind, I can't figure out half the stuff on those sites and I'm far from being an average user. Perhaps we can turn this software over to a bunch of 40 year olds and give us complete freedom on how it should appear at the end users point. Write it see more
I cant see the users im aiming for (middle aged, not that computer savvy) ever being able to use D7 as it stands,not without a steep learning see more
And I will also say that the main menu is a nightmare for most users, if we look at D6 and we now look on D7 you can see what I mean.. The navigation is not fluid anymore, everything is stacked to the max..
Try to use the D7 beta2 with a 1024x768 resolution.. you can't.. we should remember that this resolution is still used by a vast ammount of people..
A first step will be to make the main menu smaller in height and scrollable just as windows start > all see more
Having a simple overstated layout with the most popular features, areas and then having an extended template with mid features, for the advanced user and finally having a hardcore template for extreme users with every feature/area.
Also D7 is for normal users not easy to navigate!!
yes I love it, but we have to think on our end users. Its to overwelmed (if I say this right?)
Need - your site may only need a common gallery for all to post to, whereas the next site is a site for aspiring artists who each need their own gallery.
Perception - it is driven by the culture that you live see more
Anyway, we're very open for suggestion on new layouts/structures. "Don't know how, but not this way" just doesn't cut it.
And this long list is really ugly :-)
http://www.boonex.com/unity/forums/#topic/A-Request-For-Dolphin-7-Beta-2-testers-.htm
No one is offering any suggestion in that one either. The problem here is everyone likes to complain, but very, very few like to present better ideas.
Personally, I think the D7 user interface is just fine. It's wrong in a few places, but nothing that can't be fixed.
There are quite a few complex sites with mass appeal. see more
1. No we should not "dumb down" Dolphin but working on a site you soon knows where everything is and the same might not be so obvious to a visitor, and since we all want to convert visitors into members, the easier the better.
2. The menu is customizable and while it might require a bit more work, it will differentiate see more
regards
Tyke
I just wrote a ticket regarding the Files module, because I wanted to uninstall it but couldn't because the Groups module has to be uninstalled first?????? Huh????
Sure I want members to upload photos, videos, and music, but I don't want them to be able to upload any other types of files.... see more