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

[Richard Terry]

The scroll bars will always be there and are nothing to do with the 
multi-sash, because they are an automatic part of the STC control. 

Without them, and because the soap on the multi-sash doesn't auto enlarge, 
they will always appear.

Richard



On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 02:07 am, Karsten Hilbert wrote:
> 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