Re: [udig-devel] UDIG Requirements Document is up

[cholmes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

> Quoting Jonathan Aquino <jonathan.aquino@xxxxxxxxx>:

> "uDig ... will ... make viewing, editing, and printing data ...
> simple
> for ordinary computer users." [uDig Requirements]
>
>
> Call me a dreamer, but wouldn't it be great if the uDig GUI were as
> polished and friendly as PhotoShop? Editing data could be ... fun!
> (http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/overview.html)
>
> May its user interface not become like the very user unfriendly GIMP
> (aptly named) (http://www.wpdfd.com/editorial/wpd0504review.htm)

I think if that's a serious goal then you really need to hire a
full-time user interface designer from the start.  My friend is a UI
designer at Adobe, he was lead UI on Album and he's moving to co-lead
UI on Photoshop right now.  Photoshop employs 4 people full time just
to _think_ about the UI, and a large engineering team that's committed
to implemented exactly what they come up with.

There's a decent blog on open source problems with user interface
design:
http://daringfireball.net/2004/04/spray_on_usability

He basically says that open source UI suffers because for the most part
it's an after thought, to be really good it needs to be designed for at
the start, indeed it needs to drive development.

Chris



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