Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] mouse wheel behavior and RFC: human interface guidelines
From: John Check (j4strngs_AT_bitless.net)
Date: Sun Aug 22 2004 - 00:31:48 EEST
On Saturday 21 August 2004 04:51 pm, Lee Revell wrote:
> On Sat, 2004-08-21 at 16:36, John Check wrote:
> > On Saturday 21 August 2004 04:24 pm, Lee Revell wrote:
> > > On Sat, 2004-08-21 at 16:14, John Check wrote:
> > > > On Saturday 21 August 2004 02:10 pm, Pete Bessman wrote:
> > > > > I guarantee you that the last thing on 99.8% of users' minds when
> > > > > they're adjusting a horizontal volume slider is "This is kind of
> > > > > like reading a book, which goes left to right and top to bottom;
> > > > > and if we assume an association between beginnings and ends, then
> > > > > it follows that left and up are vaguely synonymous. Therefore, to
> > > > > decrease the volume with my mousewheel, I MUST spin up."
> > > >
> > > > Nope, they try one way, then the other, then make a mental note if it
> > > > doesn't fit the expectation.
> > >
> > > Which is why is HAS to work the same way in every app. You can't
> > > expect users to make mental notes of differences like this from app to
> > > app.
> >
> > I agree, but I think "should" is a more realistic position than "has to".
>
> Sorry, I disagree. This kind of thing is MADDENING for users and makes
> Linux look fly-by-night.
>
That presumes we have a monopoly on inconsistency. ;)
Having a consistent interface will definitely work to our advantage, but
I'm talking about near term when I say things like that. Being as I'm not
going to be the one coding, I can't say "must" or "has to".
> Of course, you can't force people to follow human interface guidelines
> in the free software world. All we can do is carefully develop them
> based on what users want, then if you choose not to comply you are
> explicitly stating that you are hubristically choosing to ignore the
> users need for a consistent experience.
>
And in that case one gets what one deserves. From what I can see so far
WRT proprietary stuff, there are a lot of little annoyances that add up to a
lot of opportunity for LA.
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