[linux-audio-user] Opening up the discussion

Christoph Eckert mchristoph.eckert at t-online.de
Mon Jul 25 04:14:33 EDT 2005


> I think the key question is about usability from
> the first minute the application is loaded.

[...]

> As much I think
> that you need to research the topic to do anything vaguely
> complex in your recording, the target for usability should
> be to limit the required research to a minimum.

[...]

> This operation is intuitive in Cooledit, Audacity 
> and even video editing tools such as Premiere. To me, this
> is a real flaw in usability.

[...]
 
> I think Linux applications 
> just need some usability love to make this happen.

[...]

> I do agree that the needs for a new user and pro user are
> different, but the only real difference is that the pro
> user goes into a far deeper level of detail. As such, I
> don't see how usability necessarily has to be different.

[...]

> It seems to me that applications such as Ardour simply need
> some usability discussion, testing and implementation.

[...]

> Even 
> cursory glances at Ardour reveal a range of usability flaws
> - even simple issues such as dialog design, right up to
> structural issues.

[...]


Because you have used the term »usability« a lot, I'd like to 
add that i also think that addressing usability could help a 
lot, especially in the Linux audio world. It cannot solve all 
issues, but a lot.

Unfortunately, usability needs time and resources. And I 
understand well that a programmer of free software is more 
interested in doing research and write new features than care 
about usability issues.

I have held a talk about usability issues on Linux audio on 
this years LAC:

http://sysexxer.sourceforge.net/files/lac2005-Linux-audio-usability.pdf


I often got very positive feedback when filing usability 
feature requests for various projects, but sometimes I even 
got told »The user should read the documentation« ;-) .

I agree with you that usability could reduce the amount of 
documentation needed a lot.



Best regards


    ce




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