Blog posts tagged "Usability"

We try hard to make our products as intuitive and familiar as possible, but there will always be “advanced” options and rarely-used features. So how do we decide what order and prominence to give to these lesser-used features?

Understanding user behaviour through user research is an integral part of our design process. In the last ubuntu.com website testing, some insights surfaced about user behaviour, which could help to shape a great user experience for our website. We share the three mains ones here. They have been much discussed in the UX, and the

Normally the Ubuntu/Canonical Design Team are busy working on our own projects, but it makes a really good change to work on other Free Software design problems for a change. Starting at 22:00 UTC (15:00 PDT) on Monday 7 May 2012, you can join us for the next Ubuntu Design Theatre at the Ubuntu Developer

Introduction to task switching A key part of any operating system user interface is how it enables the user to switch between multiple tasks. In most desktop operating systems tasks are encapsulated into windows, and the most frequently used method of multi-tasking is window switching. Desktop OSs have multiple methods of window switching

Every three months, I conduct benchmark usability testing.  I’m calling these tests ‘benchmark testing’ because the aim of these sessions is to measure our progress towards achieving a great user experience with Ubuntu.  Last testing took place in October 2011.  I am now preparing for testing 12.04 to take place a couple of weeks from

How is Unity designed?  How can I contribute to this process?  Why did you make thus and such decision? The Unity Design Team is frequently asked these questions, and this article aims to de-mystify our design process and highlight the different ways in which volunteer contributions can help improve the Ubuntu user experience. Before divi

Recently we hired an external consultant to compare the usability of 2 email clients: Thunderbird and Evolution. I have taken some highlights from the report to compose this blog. Setting of the usability session The sessions took place in early June at the Canonical Office in London. Thirty participants were recruited. All of them used

First and last impressions of Unity were that it was quite user-friendly, and pleasing in its design and ease of learning. The majority of participants left the session with very positive feelings and were looking forward to Unity’s release so they could download it. In short, participants in this testing session were considerably more po

The “Quit” command in applications today is a relic from the days when the original Macintosh had no hard disk and couldn’t multitask. Modern applications have made this command increasingly annoying. Fortunately, though, modern PCs have also made it increasingly unnecessary. Mobile operating systems have, for the most part, eliminated th

 I have just completed sessions of usability testing of Thunderbird. This time, I had the pleasure of working with Andreas Nilsson, who came to London to observe the sessions. It was very useful to get his feedback and to work collaboratively with him on the analysis and implications of the findings. In addition to

Hey Ubuntu One and Design fans! This is my first post here, and I have to say I feel priveledged to be able to write to you all. Recently I’ve been working with the Ubuntu One team on the desktop syncing apps, and trying to give them some special attention. I feel like these apps

’Appropriation’ – the taking of a product and using it for one’s own purposes, in ways unintended by the product creators – is implicitly at the core of the philosophy of opensource, because openness provides for change, adaptation and innovation. Design specifications Last year, I conducted several research projects to understand how d

In contrast to a proportionally spaced font a the characters in a monospace occupy all exactly the same width. In the past monospace type was used on typewriters, and more recently in some specialised printing environments such as Credit Card embossing, or ticketing. Today, monospace fonts are primarily used within a programming environme

In preparation for UDS, we conducted usability testing of Unity with general public users.  We are now better informed as to where we should expend further efforts to enhance the experience for users working with Unity. I summarize my findings below. Participants Selection We asked an external recruiting firm to find 15 participants who a

When conducting and writing up user research findings, I make a point of defining the experience goals alongside participant’s actual real life goals.  This is because, as users interact with a system, they are made to feel a certain way – just as people can, software can bring the best or the worst out of

We recently conducted usability testing to see how users respond to Ubuntu on their first encounter. Overall, first impressions are good.  Typical remarks include: “It is bold and different.” “Ubuntu is fresh and accessible ….” “This is good. People are getting tired of Windows.” What we were looking for during these sessions, however, we