Gnome 2.6 Usability Review

TuringTest writes ""The user-centric UI webzine" UserInstinct has published a usability overview of the latest version of the GNOME desktop. While their conclusions and recommendations are not mind-blowing, it includes two interesting appendices with a survey of new users (and their reactions to the system) and a list of common tasks of modern computer users with a commentary on how Gnome performs in each one. Note that usually You Only Need to Test With 5 Users (this report tests 4), you need to test additional users when an interface has several highly distinct groups of users and thus the conclusions in this review should not be taken as definitive."

Only 4?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not 5? Well, this is worthless then. Listen to useability/web design guru Nielsen!

Gnome Usability?

[Anonymous Coward]

What usability?

The tunnel of mirrors file browsing is from Satan.

Satan.

I found the "Hesitant User" study most interesting

[James A. V. Joyce]

Task #1 - Email

* Clicked Applications right away
* Discovered "Internet"
* Discovered "Web Browser"

(The above happened in less than 10 seconds)

* Ignored "Start Here"
* User admitted to not being used to clicking on Start Here and decided to go looking after the desktop did not have an internet icon
* Clicked URL bar
* Typed in URL
* Logged in
* "Fuck no I don't want to do that" referring to saving passwords, never saves passwords at home
* Read mail

Guess GNOME really IS a terrible user interface, haha. (Before you mod me as a troll, RTFA [userinstinct.com], they actually say this.)

Mod me down - but you gotta see this:

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.linspire.com/RunLinspireFlash.php [linspire.com]

best part

[mnemonic_]

'What the hell is "GNOME-gegl2.png [mit.edu]"? "That's disgusting!"'

Re:Mod me down - but you gotta see this:

[Anonymous Coward]

That ad is WAY too long.

It was like getting a blow job from my father.

Ha ha!

[BollocksToThis]

I'm amused by the actions of the experienced unix guy, because this is *exactly* what I do, every time I sit down in front of a linux desktop (and the first thing I did trying out MacOS X in a store):

1. Opens terminal
   
2. 'ls' in home
   

(On MacOS X, step 1 was the hardest, because there's either no console icon by default, or the store had removed it)

It doesn't matter what I'm trying to achieve, I always do this. Does anyone else do the same?

Re:gramer correction

[kundor]

My Acer aspire from 1995 had working voice recognition. Worked like a charm. I could say "Shut down...yes," and it would shut down. I could say "Switch to Descent" and it would start Descent. I could say "Switch to Chess" and it would start Descent. I could say "Switch to CHESS you stupid computer" and it would shut down.

Re:Project GoneME

[tomhudson]

Or this:

"Cancel" "Confirm" "Switch to KDE"