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Re: [Gnumed-devel] Usability ?a matter of taste


From: Karsten Hilbert
Subject: Re: [Gnumed-devel] Usability ?a matter of taste
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 16:07:02 +0100
User-agent: Mutt/1.3.22.1i

On Sun, Mar 13, 2005 at 07:50:34PM +1100, Richard wrote:

> Good software design is both about backend engineering and the ergonomics and 
> functionality of the work flow offered by the front-end.
True.

> This is a concept that I think many people on this development team still do 
> not understand  - ie that one has to define functionality/user need.
We *are* users. We don't just come up with *something*. I have
repeatedly told people to work on use cases.

> It is no good person A coming up with what they think will be a good design 
> for 
> something if it a) doesn't work in practice and b) dosn't fit into an overall 
> design philosophy.
It surely is good if person A comes up with something that a)
does work in practice for person A and b) person A has a
different perception of what degree of integration is needed
right now.

> The SOAP editor is yet another example of a good concept which currently is 
> being implemented in an unworkable fashion
The soap *editor* certainly isn't. Perhaps "our" new-progress-note
*plugin* is. If you don't like it, don't use it. We are even
trying to make you benefit from our work by keeping as many
things as possible ready for re-use.

> - yet most of you will never ever 
> know this, even after you start to use it on your desktop, because you will 
> not have been able to experience an integrated alternative. 
Neither will those people get the chance to experience the nice
feeling of "Yuck, this sucks !! Let's immediately turn to
Richard and kill off the other strange design !!!" if "we"
don't implement it.

> Lest you forget, the SOAP editor was written by Ian with my design specs, at 
> my request.
There is no forgetting this. You guys are mentioned in the
credits lines.

> Carlos or Karsten (Carlos I think) came up with the fabulous idea 
> of having multiple SOAP controls in the workspace. Now instead of the group 
> running with that idea and optimizing it before its development became 
> entrenched - that is were it sat,
It seems it sat there because nobody *did* work on it ?

> and is now the preferred production model 
> using an essentially unworkable, unergonomic, multi-sash control that will do 
> nothing but confuse the user, and should be replaced by the much more elegant 
> notebook tab control which is easy to use/add/delete tabs.
a) you cannot tell me what works for me
b) yes, *that* part of your design is going to be next in that
   space, eg the tabbed notebook multiple progress notes *will
   be there*

> To try and explain why the multi-sash concept becomes unworkable, I've 
> entered 
> a few consultations,

> Note particularly that one very rapidly loses multiple lines of the 
> consultation notes from view because of the confines of space. Where the 
> scrollbars are, was about 4-5 lines of history notes (probably the most 
> important part of the consult) and that it is no longer visible.
Those scrollbars should not be there at all. If they are the
multisash isn't operating properly.

Karsten
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