Comments on: LinuxMCE and Usability http://blog.cosmix.org/2007/10/21/linuxmce-and-usability/ Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:22:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Vaggelis http://blog.cosmix.org/2007/10/21/linuxmce-and-usability/comment-page-1/#comment-23408 Vaggelis Sun, 28 Oct 2007 11:45:56 +0000 http://blog.cosmix.org/2007/10/21/linuxmce-and-usability/#comment-23408 Unfortunately you're 100% right. It's a common property of a considerable part of open source community software designers to focus on the technical aspects of the end product and not its aesthetics, ergonomy and usuability. Major market players (like the one you mentioned ;-)...) devote tremendous amount of time and resources on the look and feel of the application whether it is hardware or software. Consumers tend to prefer from two products, sharing similar specifications and properties, the one that's more fashionable and easy to use. Just think of your household applicances and you get the point. It's sad to say that the Human Computer Interaction and UI design courses are not key part (if they exist at all) of the most university level computer science and engineering programs. When we designed software for our thesis or course projects, the user interface part was not that important as functionality and quality of the solution approach was marked. The great stake is to attract talented graphic artists and UI design professionals to contribute to the open source software initiative. Quite difficult I assume but not impossible at all... Unfortunately you’re 100% right. It’s a common property of a considerable part of open source community software designers to focus on the technical aspects of the end product and not its aesthetics, ergonomy and usuability.

Major market players (like the one you mentioned ;-)…) devote tremendous amount of time and resources on the look and feel of the application whether it is hardware or software.

Consumers tend to prefer from two products, sharing similar specifications and properties, the one that’s more fashionable and easy to use. Just think of your household applicances and you get the point.

It’s sad to say that the Human Computer Interaction and UI design courses are not key part (if they exist at all) of the most university level computer science and engineering programs. When we designed software for our thesis or course projects, the user interface part was not that important as functionality and quality of the solution approach was marked.

The great stake is to attract talented graphic artists and UI design professionals to contribute to the open source software initiative. Quite difficult I assume but not impossible at all…

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