Usability Issues list

[Michael Allan]

Thomas and Alex,

Thomas von der Elbe wrote:
> I agree with Alex. I think its good to have a place to at least
> write issues and bugs down for now. We used this for a while ...
> Should we maybe change to a different one? If yes, which one? What
> is important to us? ...

You guys complicate things. :-) I think it's much simpler (and more
fun):

  1. Use the software

  2. Decide what to do next.  Maybe that includes talking about
     usability issues, or maybe not.

Using the software (despite its flaws) is more fun than setting up bug
trackers (big snooze).  It's an eye opener too, because you discover
stuff.  Last night, for example, I was thinking about maintaining a
position diff in the face of patch flow back from the candidate.  This
backflow will always be clobbering your diff, and you'll have to
re-create it manually each time (big drag).  This morning, I
discovered a possible solution for that: reverse-patch from an old
diff, to regenerate the diff, like magic!

Alex Rollin schrieb:
> That said, getting users...means working on help docs.

I try, but I always get stuck.  I end up documenting a bunch of
complicated workarounds for usability issues that I'd much rather be
fixing.  (If the UI is solid, then it shouldn't need a lot of
documenting.  It should be self-explanatory.)

> If all three of those can be documented then I think I'll be ready to
> bring in more testers.

If you join us (hands on in real contexts) then we'll have enough
users to get started.  Together we can probably pull Ed away from
whatever he's doing, at least in brief snatches.  (He's been known to
roam outside of the Metagov forum, on occaision.)  Then we can take
this go-cart onto the road, and drive the guts out of it.  Stuff will
happen:

  1. We use the software in real contexts, real forums.
     (maybe 2 weeks)

     We get a feel for it, and for how others react to it.

  2. Start fixing the worst of the usability issues.

     At some point (shouldn't take long), we start attracting new
     pioneer users, one at a time.

  3. Target a specific crowd, e.g. your P2P crowd.  Go there and
     attract 2 or 3 of them.  Then you and they can split off and do
     your own thing.

What do you guys think?  (This is only a suggestion.)

-- 
Michael Allan

Toronto, +1 647-436-4521
http://zelea.com/