.../... Now, if "our" backend structure doesn't support "their" UI plugin needs, now, that again is "our" problem which we need to fix ;-)
You are cheating. :-)
Obviously, I was not refering to GNUMed back end structure, because it's robust and solid.
"User Interface Design for Programmers"Guess what, I read it before :-) But will read it again.
I guess that it is what makes all our approaches very similar. We all have similar backgrounds. We tend to approach similar problems with similar methodologies. It is no surprise that we end up finding the same papers.
Returning to UI matters:
1. Have you tried the usability test described, i.e., using those 5 users "off-the-street", in no form related to the project and who did not know how to do things? Were they comfortable?
2. About our medical colleagues, are you sure that the program model
meets their user model? Are you sure that GNUMed "affords" to be used by
the common "I use Word for Reports and to update the Curriculum and I
use Powerpoint for presentations" GP doctor?
While I was researching for suitable Healthcare IT FLOSS software I did test GNUMed. And did show it to two other, one of them (my wife) who
besides being from the field, happens to be one of those "Apple Mac
enlightened" (although non militant, as she is now using Debian+KDE!). The feeling was common and much like it says in the UI paper: it "doesn't flow right, i.e., people sit down and they don't know what it does, and they don't know how to accomplish what they want". And, as you already know, "users don't read"...
I am mostly talking about non "techies" fellow doctors.
I do agree that if the need arises and/or after spending some time to
learn it, it could be a sharp and powerful tool.
But we were not talking about that, were we? We were talking of sheer "out-of-the-box" "affordance". We were talking about "out-of-the-box" UI appeal.
Thanks for sharing!
You are very welcome. It was from fellow doctor to fellow doctor. I just
thought that your software has merit and has some sharp minds behind it, so I just forwarded you the UI design paper. It, too, seems to have been written by a sharp mind and certainly is a piece of pragmatic good sense on how to accomplish clear but effective UI design.
Now, I wonder, should I continue to send you some of those "boring" papers? I certainly would appreciate to receive some of the papers that you (your team) consider to be "golden standard".
Best regards,
J. Antas
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