Home Messages Index
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Author IndexDate IndexThread Index

Re: Microsofts 'academic' view of Open Source ..

Doug Mentohl wrote:

> "Usability is a recognized challenge for open source development ..
> more so for anyone who does not have the resources for dedicated
> usability assessment.."
> 
> "When Paula investigated other open source projects, she quickly
> discovered that most do not have a well-defined design process"

Well, let's examine Microsoft's well-defined design process in Ten Easy
Steps, with Vista as an example:
1. Spend three years spreading vapourware, and support this by producing
   some intriguing screen shots showing all the revolutionary new features
   of the new product;
2. Then start for real by taking half of the old code and slapping a coat of
   chrome-paint over all the rust;
3. Drop most of the revolutionary new features, drop many of the usable &
   proven old features, but hang on to the most horrible ones -- the
   abomination from the past called the Registry, and the endless user
   nagging feature (as explicitly admitted bij Microsoft) called the UAC;
4. Make sure to please your OEM's, so design the new product to guzzle
   system resources like there's no tomorrow. Don't worry about people being
   put off by this -- after all, a real American Hummer is far more
   impressive than some itsy bitsy Japanese Dinky Toy car, now isn't it?
5. Looks'n'feel are everything. So have a team of 40 beaver away on the
   Start button for over a year. And oh, have someone work on security and
   stability too -- the errand boy from the mail room can do this in his
   spare time;
6. For a succesful new design, things must actually look different. So do a 
   thorough shuffle of all the features, menus, and options which haven't
   changed from the previous version, and to which people have got used over
   the years;
7. Come up with half a dozen versions, each crippled by design, except the
   most expensive one -- thereby giving cheapskates that horrible nagging
   feeling that they're missing out on something, and making them more
   inclined to whip out the 'ole money bag once over;
8. Once more please your OEM's by spreading confusing marketoidspeak such as
   "Vista capable", "Vista ready" and the likes, and don't warn people about
   the fact that it really needs 10-20 times the resources of the old
   product. The smart buyers will go for the most expensive one right away,
   and all those dumbo cheapskates will run into Step 7 once again;
9. Launch the product as soon as it approaches beta stage, and at the same
   time put all the effort you can in pulling your old product from the
   shelves as quickly as possible -- this way, you'll have millions of
   paying beta testers who have little choice but to use the fruits of your 
   design efforts, no matter how bad the quality;
10. After a few months, humbly admit that the product "wasn't quite ready",
   but also announce that the next, improved version is just around the
   corner, and that people should hang in there. Repeat from Step 1.

So there you have it, *this* is how professionals design & sell Great
Products, in compliance with a well-defined ten-step process. Forget about
those Linux amateurs, trotting out slightly improved versions every few
months or so, without any central guidance or multi-year planning.

> "when developers create tools for average users, they typically need
> some help from HCI experts"

When Microsoft creates software, they typically need a clue from technical
experts in the fields of security and proper design. Instead, the whole
design process is driven by marketeers and bean counters, headed by one
sweating & screaming monkey.

> "Many OSS projects don't have the resources to devote to usability,
> and they are on their own when it comes to assessing the usability of
> their applications"
> 
>
http://download.microsoft.com/download/D/4/4/D44F6287-41F5-48EB-A93A-23D251B2704E/AcademicOSSatMS.pdf

Ah, it's from Microsoft. Not exactly a trustworthy source, now innit?

Richard Rasker
-- 
http://www.linetec.nl/

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
Author IndexDate IndexThread Index