Notices by Scott Jenson (scottjenson@social.coop), page 2

@heysupratim @doctormo

That's why I'm giving a talk at FOSSBack in a month! I really don't think it's that complicated:
1) UX requires some amount of work
2) The entire team has to want it
3) The UX designers have to be FOSS friendly
4) It's a cultural change not 'just one more Github issue"

@heysupratim
I'm not sure I follow, are you saying I'm asking for perfection?

I *totally* agree it's critical to work within boundaries, but the implication that UX design is asking for too much is a mischaracterization of what I'm asking for.

I've worked on repos with horrible, debilitating tech debt and it makes nearly any changes 'too much to ask for".

I'm just saying that discussing tech debt might be helpful

@heysupratim
I think we agree. Everytime I try to discuss #UX and #FOSS I get the same strawman pushback or gross misunderstanding of what I'm asking for. It's almost as if they don't understand what #UX is ;-)

And that is what I'm trying to fix. UX is about team building not opinion wars or 'frivolous changes'.

Good UX is pragmatic, focused, and works WITH devs to make the product work. UX should make a team MORE efficient, not less.

But that's not what most people in #FOSS seem to think.

#OpenSource and #UXDesign friends.

My current theory is that most pushback to new #UX ideas for a project is rooted in tech limitations (e.g. the current library can't do that)

So your improved #UI is rejected not because no one wants it, but that it's "too hard" to do.

Comments? Stories? Alternative theories?

@xerz I totally see the potential value of Haskell but Jesus lord almighty, it's a right pain the derriere to use. I get it I need to "think differently" but it is VERY different

@kevinctofel

Sorry for the 'tech support' style question but this one is hard to google search. My Chromebook just, out of the blue, lost ALL cookies and I had relog into everything (not a big deal but with 2 factor these days, is more than you'd think)

Then, randomly just ONE site required a log in AGAIN. I feel like I'm losing my mind. I've tried a web search but can't find anything. Curious if you've seen anything like this?

Third in my blog post series "Design can be free" where I slay monsters: horrible cheap "smart devices" with far too many fiddly buttons.

This is a hill I'm willing to die on.
#UXDesign #HardwareDesign #IXD #IoT

https://jenson.org/free3/

@alcinnz paste it in our just upload an image, manipulate it, then copy it or download it

Oh, and in light of a previous conversation. I'd LOVE a mac preview clone on the web as well (PhotoPea is a bit like Krita, a reasonable app but overkill)

I'd love a Mac Preview clone on Linux but it seems impossible to find. Krita is frequently mentioned but it's overkill (and the UX is a bit clunky)

In fact, I'd go so far to say that the Linux culture would abhor a mac preview clone: it doesn't do enough, other apps can already do that, etc.

As Larry Tesler once said "The UX *is* the program!" It's not the *features* that matter but how they are presented. If there is such an app, I'd love a pointer!
#UXDesign #UX

Apple just announced Mac Minis with the M2 and M2 Pro chips, starting at $599. I'd be tempted but Apple keeps "iOS-izing MacOS" which feels like going in the wrong direction.

I like the Mac not because of the OS but the absolutely stunning indie apps out there.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/17/23387288/apple-mac-mini-m2-pro-price-release-date-specs-features

Ultimately, I'd like to see a suite of Linux apps come up and compete. That feels like the right solution.

@breadbin Yeah, I hear you. I've been trying to leave MacOS and what keeps me is the quality of the various creative apps on mac. There are just so many great apps that do the job really well. Nearly every creative app on Linux feels like GIMP: powerful yet needlessly complex.

@breadbin Completely agree. I'd argue that Linux feels just a bit worse than PC, getting that 'last 20%' is what is holding it back.

I started into #FOSS with the hope of working on a few creative apps, trying to close that gap but ran into "FOSS head winds" where the predominant approach was developer centered, not creative centered and got a bit discouraged. Trying to make changes to these apps, which are run by folks that don't really "get" UX is frustrating.

@breadbin I don't disagree that better libraries will help but, forgive me, assuming that's the primary problem *is* thinking a bit like a developer ;-)

There is so much great UX that can happen outside of libraries. Much of UX is just prioritizing what you've got, bringing the core use cases forward, improving labels, and adjusting layout. I'm over simplifying a bit but it really can be "just moving icons around" which doesn't always require a library.

New blog post! Design can be free. How most 'smart hardware' could actually have a reasonable design if they'd just use what they have properly.
https://jenson.org/free/

Mobile ux is far simpler than desktop. That's a good thing.

But it can go too far. I just tried to take a photo I received in Google photos and post it (with other photos I took) to Instagram. The lack of a proper file system makes this completely impossible.

The fundamental building blocks of Mobile #uxdesign are for consumption. This hobbles non-trivial creation tasks. This isn't either/or. Mobile can be better

Study shows that touch screen buttons are less safe than physical buttons (no surprise to anyone in #UXDesign)

"The 2005 #Volvo far outperformed the modern, infotainment screen equipped cars, with a driver completing all four tasks in just ten seconds and 1,000 feet traveled."

https://futurism.com/the-byte/study-finds-that-buttons-in-cars-are-safer-and-quicker-to-use-than-touchscreens

Hey! Want to pair your phone to our in flight entertainment system? Just do this...

But not like that.

I totally understand what is happening but this type of #UXDesign fail is so easy to detect. Just have a preflight screen

I've been interviewing various #OpenSource maintainers and UX designers and the same patterns keeps emerging:
1. Tech Debt makes everything take longer
2. It's REALLY hard to get everyone onboard
3. Discussing #UXDesign is often a shitshow
4. People try roadmaps but they usually get blown up
5. #FOSS is just a slower process

This is no different than commercial software! But there just doesn't seem to be the broader will to actually solve these problems. Teams just seem to 'cope along'