I wrote a blog post that's a fairly detailed how-to on conducting usability testing for free software: https://samuelhewitt.com/blog/2019-08-27-how-to-run-a-usability-test-on-free-software-linux
| Website | https://samuelhewitt.com/ |
Sam Hewitt
@snwh
- 610 Followers
- 64 Following
- 182 Posts
Making Free Software more usable. Designer @Gnome (he/they) š³ļøāš
My attention to detail for icons is at the subpixel level. It may only count for a few fractions of a pixel, but it's a few fractions of a pixel more legible. (Left: new, right:old)
flatpak: nice 128GB drive you got there shame if something happened to it
me: *buys 1TB SDD upgrade for my laptop*
me: *buys 1TB SDD upgrade for my laptop*
I wrote a blog post about what I see as the unethical practice of calling people "users" and how we can do better. https://samuelhewitt.com/blog/2019-02-20-taking-the-user-out-of-design
The overuse of hamburger menus (or overflow menus) is still the worst and Firefox has essentially two (three if you count the overflow menu in the URL bar). Two vague icons in the toolbar that both serve as to represent menus that are catch-alls for a bunch of things.
How everyone got away with the hamburger is beyond me. It's not simplification of the UI it's complication. Simplification would be paring down unnecessary function so you have no need for overflow menus.
I definitely think the Mastodon columns should be wider (for both writing and reading toots), especially when toots make use of the full 500 character limit. IMO, it would make these large blocks of text appear more balanced instead of cramped and stretched.
If you're using Linux and engaged in development processes or on IRC channels and are familiar with the names of things and what different distros (or even what "distros" are) are and the nuances between desktop environments, then I'm definitely not designing anything with you in mind. You're already here.
It'd be great if you could switch instances but take all your toots, follows and followers with you. I'd more inclined to move to another instance to lessen the server load on this main one if I didn't have to start over.
āŖThings you never see: projects putting up developersā code for vote by the public/community. āHey guys, which of these code blocks do you like best?ā It irks me that itās done to designers because a) it shows a disregard for their expertise and b) itās no way to make decisions.ā¬
I stagger the screen positions of dual-monitor setup in GNOME so I can trigger the Shell hotcorner on both displays. š¤
(It's also nice because my monitors are at different heights irl)
