[other] Usability : De-nerdify and Simplify (1 Viewer)

[starko]

I just installed MediaPortal for the first time and ran it for 5 minutes. These are my first impressions.

First of all - Great work!
It looks really good.
I loved the fact that MP can play VIDEO_TS folders, now add .ISO supoort a-la VLC and MP could be my media program of choice.

Comments:

1.
During start up remove all "Loading this" and "Starting that" messages. Make a nice animation or something. Nobody cares about that info. For yourself (developers) and for those who might be interested for debugging purposes make a verbose command line switch.

2.
Also you might consider removing version number from startup screen. Normal users do not care and those who do care already know what version they have. Put it away somewhere in Configuration interface instead.

3.
Remove Date & Time from everywhere. Just because you can show time does not mean you need to stick it everywhere. It looks amaturistic and distracts from other useful info. Every one knows what time it is!

4.
It took me a while to figure out how to operate main menu. Very annoying! I want to click on video that move my mouse there and it moves away... I admit that once you know what is going on it's simple. It's a smart thing for long lists though, and completely unnessary for only 7 items. Just show all 7 items and be done with it, there is plenty of space.

5.
I noticed that .ASF files are not shown in the directories. Probably because MP can not play them. Good thing! The question is then: Why do i see my .ISO files if i could not play them?

6.
I could not abort playing DVD (VIDEO_TS) when i clicked on it by mistake. Only when i skipped to DVD MENU and started playing the movie could i see the control interface and select STOP button.

7.
When browsing folders in List View there are THREE places when file/folder name is displayed:
- file/folder itself
- left at the big thumbnail/icon thingy under Info:
- right above
Clutter!


I could keep going on about usability of browsing etc. but probably a separate thread would be a better place.

I will not be using MP, mainly because of low usability - it's interface is still too shifty, wobbly
- too many unexpected things happen when i move a pixel too far in a "wrong" direction.
- too many expected things do not happen
- a lot of the interface is too revolutionary. What i mean by this is that a lot of interaction is done differently (probably deliberatly) from already existing implementations. Unfortunately without making it more intuitive.
- too many features and choices and none are completely worked out

The whole lot is just too exciting to use, yeah i know it sounds weird but that's exactly how i feel.
Again, this is just my personal opinion and i still mean it when i say: great job!

My advise: read excellent book "Design of Everyday Things" by Donald Norman (if you can not find it in shops there is a PDF on all P2Ps) and spend some time improving usability while making some feature pruning.

Cheers,

Konstantin

PS. Tried to submit the post and got a message "You must select a thread prefix." I whish there was one named "Usability"

 

[JoeSmith]

most of the stuff you are talking about are skin issues, maybe you should try a different skin ?

1.ok (i don't really care about that, i think it's rather useful, but for an average user you're right.
2.i guess nobody sees as problem here. I can't think of any users you might see a problem in a version number
3.date might be "useless" but time ? i definitly wanna see time
4.mp is not designed to be used with a mouse. using it with a mouse is definitly bad for usability. use a remote !
5. can both be played depending on the codecs you have installed.see mp configuration
6.works here
7.see your point

My advise for you :
0.relax a bit if mp is too exciting ;-)
1.Don't use a mouse for a media centre, it just "kills" the experience.
2.Try a different skin

 

[tourettes]

I loved the fact that MP can play VIDEO_TS folders, now add .ISO supoort a-la VLC and MP could be my media program of choice.

ISOs are already supported, but you need to use 3rd party tool to mount those -> Home page :: DAEMON-Tools.cc

 

[aikeru]

Hmmm personal preference

Personal preference... I like "de-nerdifying" MP because I want people I have over or like my girlfriend to find it "natural" but I hope any of your suggestions become "options".

I really like showing the date/time (or at least the time) in as many places as possible.
Couldn't the version number be useful for support purposes? Especially for new/casual users?

I also have to agree about skins, they make a HUGE difference AND a remote. I would never use MP if not for my remote!
(IMO without a remote it's just a computer again)

Well, MP isn't for everyone just like Linux isn't for everyone but it's certainly been good to me.

 

[splatterpop]

I think starko has a point focusing on usability and appearance. Although most of the issues he adresses are in fact skin related, i believe the first impression people might get after installing MP is really a nerdy one, because the first thing you see is the cluttered blue3 skin long with a technically very complex configuration section. Being a IT pro myself this has never been a problem for me, but I can imagine people who expect a certain industrial slickness from a technical product that wants to be a part of their living room.

I mean, you cannot argue about taste. But that is just the point. In my opinion MP should try appear as unobtrusive as possible, perhaps like the Indigo skin, or even less. You can always change to a more playful skin if you want to.

 

[tourettes]

I think starko has a point focusing on usability and appearance. Although most of the issues he adresses are in fact skin related, i believe the first impression people might get after installing MP is really a nerdy one, because the first thing you see is the cluttered blue3 skin long with a technically very complex configuration section. Being a IT pro myself this has never been a problem for me, but I can imagine people who expect a certain industrial slickness from a technical product that wants to be a part of their living room.

HTPCs are currently still for the nerds / technically oriented people. If you aren't falling into such case there is no point in trying to get the PC hardware to work in living room (drivers, different HW, OS etc. are already making HTPCs impossible for "non-geeks").

I would recommend anyone who is computer illiterate to buy a Blu-ray player + DVB settop box. It will save money and the nerves.

 

[DieBagger]

HTPCs are currently still for the nerds / technically oriented people. If you aren't falling into such case there is no point in trying to get the PC hardware to work in living room (drivers, different HW, OS etc. are already making HTPCs impossible for "non-geeks").

I would recommend anyone who is computer illiterate to buy a Blu-ray player + DVB settop box. It will save money and the nerves.

True, but even the nerds who sets up a htpc wants his gf/friends/parents/etc. to be able to use the thingy wo. getting headaches...

While I don't agree with everything the initial poster said, he does make a few good points. And even if this won't make it into mp1 a more user-friendly, intuitive MP2 would be great for everyone.

"Design of Everyday Things" is a great book btw and I'll end my post with a cheesy quote:

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

 

[Berns]

Starko,

The biggest power of MP is the multi-functionality. No system I know of is able to server-client based group all the things that it does in my living room today.
And indeed, for all that to happen, it takes a bit of nerdness and a bit of time.

And .... Tourettes,

If you take a distance and think out of the box, you would want MP to be used by as much people as possible. Hence, it needs to be simple enough to be used by my dad.
(To give you an idea on how simple he wants things to be: For him, turning his car radio on is dead simple. He just starts the car and the radio is also on.)
Also, by your words, you just made me a nerd, because I have an HTPC in my living room. That is not quite polite, is it? ;-)

The message from Starko was a first impression message. And as we know:
"You never get a second chance to make a first impression"
(Quote from Oscar Wilde, or was it Will Rogers, or maybe Mark Twain?)

 

[tourettes]

If you take a distance and think out of the box, you would want MP to be used by as much people as possible. Hence, it needs to be simple enough to be used by my dad.

Actually the problem lies in that I don't want everyone to use MP. I wont gain anything from it. Only thing I care is that I am able to use MP in our family's HTPC. Pretty selfish I know, but doing something for free doesn't always have the main target to rule the whole world

 

[splatterpop]

HTPCs are currently still for the nerds / technically oriented people. If you aren't falling into such case there is no point in trying to get the PC hardware to work in living room (drivers, different HW, OS etc. are already making HTPCs impossible for "non-geeks").

I would recommend anyone who is computer illiterate to buy a Blu-ray player + DVB settop box. It will save money and the nerves.

I agree on the computer illiterates part. But I have to disagree otherwise.

As for living room compatibility -- see samsung public displays, hfx fanless computers. OK, you have to be an enthusiast (with a budget). Otoh consider the cost of TV sets as feature-rich as a htpc.

TV sets are computers too. Only their hardware / software configurations are static (except for firmware upgrades) and therefore easier to test, which makes them more stable. (Still not as stable as a toaster.) But they will never be as flexible as a PC, although they are obviously trying. And of course, the user interface is kept as simplistic as possible.

Software and setup - there are standard hardware/software combinations that are known to be working. Unless they want to experiment and find new working setups, users should stick to one of these setups anyway. Unless the htpc is used for toying, once the heavy stuff such as drivers, codecs is set up and working, it will not be touched again for some time. I believe it is possible to set up a stable and working htpc even for moderately skilled persons, as long as they follow the guildelines.

Apart from the technical stuff - i think MP is a very ambitious project. It should be as ambitious about user interface design as about the underlying technology.

Just my 2 cents.