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MediaPortal 1
MediaPortal 1 Talk
Usability - the 11 foot experience
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<blockquote data-quote="gxtracker" data-source="post: 33083" data-attributes="member: 14004"><p>Excellent post Program.X! I'm glad someone else feels the same way about usability like I do. Hopefully there are more of us out there to help influence MediaPortal development a bit better.</p><p></p><p>I believe one of the biggest problems we have with software development these days is the usability aspect of programs. With many gifted programmers/artists/designers out there developing software for general consumer use im suprised how many of them really dont understand the concepts of useability.</p><p></p><p>The whole purpose of usability is to "keep things simple". This doesn't mean you have to sacrifice complexity or customization; just keep it out of the users experience. If someone wants to they should be able to access every single option in MediaPortal through the configuration program or XML files, and only through the seperate section in the User Interface - a place the average user shouldn't need to go. The MediaPortal team are already doing this, so kudos to them for that, but they still have a ways to go.</p><p></p><p>Developers might think, "Oh, we only intend this program for the enthusiest" but the problem with that mentality is that those of us who are the enthusiests have wives or girlfriends that ARE basic users and without their approval and ability to easily use it, work with it, and like it MediaPortal would not be sitting connected to out living room TV's.</p><p></p><p>A few basic usability things I've noticed in MediaPortal - just for reference:</p><p></p><p>My Music - The buttons "Play" and "Pause" should be one and the same. Its a state change buttion, meaning that depending on the state of the selected media, it should play the file, or pause it. You SHOULD NOT have to bind Play and Pause to seperate buttions.</p><p></p><p>My TV - When reducing the TV window (or video window for that matter) to the small windows in the bottom left corner of the UI, the item we're watching should be viewable within ANY OTHER plugin, or submenu in media portal. right now, if I go into for example My Weather, I can no longer view the video I have playing, but still hear it. That bottom left corner should be locked down to display content in ANY plugin or submenu in mediaportal.</p><p></p><p>Plugins - This one relates to the example just above: plugins seem to not follow any kind of usability requirements. Yes they borrow elements from other parts of Mediaportal, but controls can be different in each plugin, some coverup the content being displayed in the lower left corner, etc.. There has to be standards not only for plugin development, but for UI design.</p><p></p><p>My Movie - This relates to other sections like TV and music too. The problem with userinput; for example, fast forwared and rewind. in any normal DVD player or VCR, if you press fast forwared or rewind, you can press play to resume normal viewing at regular speed. In MediaPortal, if im fast forwarding i have to press rewind to bring the speed back to normal? again, The play/pause buttion will only pause the video. and when i press it again, im still fast forwarding?</p><p></p><p>This is clearly a case of programmer developing usabillity:</p><p></p><p>[code]int Speed = 0;</p><p></p><p>if "fast forward" == true</p><p> Speed++</p><p>else if "rewind" == true</p><p> Speed--</p><p>end if;[/code]</p><p></p><p>Makes sense to us, but now try explaining to your significant other why why they cant just press play to resume normal watching.</p><p></p><p>Now, please don't think im raging on the developers. I think MediaPortal is a great program with a few kinks: but without a standard set for usability how can the developers expect an Open Source project to become usability friendly?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gxtracker, post: 33083, member: 14004"] Excellent post Program.X! I'm glad someone else feels the same way about usability like I do. Hopefully there are more of us out there to help influence MediaPortal development a bit better. I believe one of the biggest problems we have with software development these days is the usability aspect of programs. With many gifted programmers/artists/designers out there developing software for general consumer use im suprised how many of them really dont understand the concepts of useability. The whole purpose of usability is to "keep things simple". This doesn't mean you have to sacrifice complexity or customization; just keep it out of the users experience. If someone wants to they should be able to access every single option in MediaPortal through the configuration program or XML files, and only through the seperate section in the User Interface - a place the average user shouldn't need to go. The MediaPortal team are already doing this, so kudos to them for that, but they still have a ways to go. Developers might think, "Oh, we only intend this program for the enthusiest" but the problem with that mentality is that those of us who are the enthusiests have wives or girlfriends that ARE basic users and without their approval and ability to easily use it, work with it, and like it MediaPortal would not be sitting connected to out living room TV's. A few basic usability things I've noticed in MediaPortal - just for reference: My Music - The buttons "Play" and "Pause" should be one and the same. Its a state change buttion, meaning that depending on the state of the selected media, it should play the file, or pause it. You SHOULD NOT have to bind Play and Pause to seperate buttions. My TV - When reducing the TV window (or video window for that matter) to the small windows in the bottom left corner of the UI, the item we're watching should be viewable within ANY OTHER plugin, or submenu in media portal. right now, if I go into for example My Weather, I can no longer view the video I have playing, but still hear it. That bottom left corner should be locked down to display content in ANY plugin or submenu in mediaportal. Plugins - This one relates to the example just above: plugins seem to not follow any kind of usability requirements. Yes they borrow elements from other parts of Mediaportal, but controls can be different in each plugin, some coverup the content being displayed in the lower left corner, etc.. There has to be standards not only for plugin development, but for UI design. My Movie - This relates to other sections like TV and music too. The problem with userinput; for example, fast forwared and rewind. in any normal DVD player or VCR, if you press fast forwared or rewind, you can press play to resume normal viewing at regular speed. In MediaPortal, if im fast forwarding i have to press rewind to bring the speed back to normal? again, The play/pause buttion will only pause the video. and when i press it again, im still fast forwarding? This is clearly a case of programmer developing usabillity: [code]int Speed = 0; if "fast forward" == true Speed++ else if "rewind" == true Speed-- end if;[/code] Makes sense to us, but now try explaining to your significant other why why they cant just press play to resume normal watching. Now, please don't think im raging on the developers. I think MediaPortal is a great program with a few kinks: but without a standard set for usability how can the developers expect an Open Source project to become usability friendly? [/QUOTE]
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