Take the test

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I'm just back from the GCDS. and had a great time there with all of the KDE people and some of the gnome people as well.
I had the opportunity to finally meet the tango people and they are great :). Juts like us they the best they can to make the open source desktop rock.
My talk was about 2 things, the KDE open service, (got great feedback from several distros about it) and the making the desktop you need... (another way of saying I don't guess what the user wants and its better to ask).

So every 15 days we will be conducting icon test on http://www.oxygen-icons.org/survey/, there is no wrong answer just good ones, ask everybody you know to take it, I'm very interested on the opinions of the people that use the computer occasionally and never used KDE.
The first test is about some icons in K3B, its very fast to do the test, follow the link and see all the wonderful stuff http://www.apliki.de/ did for us, find out more in http://www.usability-methods.com/en.
The first feedback was rather good and we already know ways on how to conduct the test in a better fashion specially as the specific wording for each element goes...



So take the test have fun with it, ask your friends and family to take it, there is no wrong answer, so enjoy. I will try to publish some results in the end, (will not be as simple but I will try at least to give a small report, on specific issues such as localization.

Comments

Iuri said…
I found the test very well made, and indeed useful :)
Congrats.
12:51 PM
Simon said…
I have taken your test :)
I am happy to see more activity in usability testing and surveys to make our favourite free software even better. So, I would like to say thank you and keep up the good work!
1:55 PM
Anonymous said…
got stuck on step 4 (i guess): selecting the most fitting icon. Seeing 1 of 3, Data Media, click some icon, then next on the bottom => error. (used akkregator)
2:02 PM
Pinheiro said…
@Anonymous hummm take the test again sometimes it has a bit of hiccups
@Iuri Fiedoruk and Simon thanks, I'm sure we can do better :) in the test and in the icons.
2:05 PM
Podstavsky said…
In the icon designing you're the best - sometimes people are too fastidious but Oxygen team always solve the problem - for ex. this test you've organised - look once again world! It's all depended on our preferences - they don't have to do such as poll, but they do! KDE 4eva!

Keep up the best open work I've ever seen Nuno! :)
2:30 PM
Ilja Pavkovic said…
@Anonymous: if you can reproduce the error please get in contact with us at support@usability-methods.com (the log files provide some indicates but I am not sure about the way how to get into this state).
2:38 PM
Anonymous said…
A friend of mine, Windows-user, has done the test. Some 'problems' occured but most of them were recognised pretty fast.

Regards,
BartOtten
3:23 PM
Pinheiro said…
@Podstavsky thank you so much, but most of the credit must go to the wonderfull people at apliki.com.
"It takes a village to raise a child"
3:45 PM
fyanardi said…
Just finished taking the survey :D
6:25 PM
jerrykan said…
The mini surveys is a really good idea, and I'll try to do them if you do more.

It might be a good idea to have the ability to add some general comments at the end. I don't usually have extra comments for a survey, but for this one i did.

I like the 2 CDs for "copy media", but and arrow (or some indication) or one to the other would make it more clear. Also an eraser actually erasing some of the CD might be a good addition.

Not sure being able to add extra comments defeats the purpose of the survey though.
9:23 PM
Fabien said…
Just a thought about the "localization problem". Would it be possible to have localized icons ?
I mean, depending of your language, KDE will use on icon or another.

I don't know if the fd.o icon naming spec has something about that.
12:42 AM
Ivo Anjo said…
Just finished it too.

Don't forget to announce new surveys when you post them there, because otherwise they might go unnoticed.
2:09 AM
Pinheiro said…
@IAnjo I will please help spread the word, specialy outside of the kde buble, im realy interested on what the non kde users (yet) think about it.
2:58 AM
Anonymous said…
Hi Nuno,

Nice (and useful) idea conducting these tests. I would ask you two things that will help us all: Could you please keep us informed in your blog (i.e. I follow you in the feed of planetkde) whenever you release a new survey.

Also, I would like to know the final results of these surveys, just because it is cool. ;)

You (the oxygen-team) are great. All the best.


Claudio
5:35 AM
david said…
For media cd, I think it's more clear for example a sheet in front of cd in the same manner as music cd icon.
2:11 PM
Anonymous said…
I've taken the test, discovered on identi.ca ;)

I think it's a wonderful idea because I care KDE4 usability, I would like to see more of these tests, thank you for your (KDE developers) works!
12:27 PM
DamageInc said…
Hi, maybe this is not the best way to make known my work but some people think it's a good idea for the Plasma Media Center in KDE 4.4
To see, just click on my name "DamageInc"
(Posted in kde-look.org)

Note: My job is not as good as Mr Nuno Pinheiro, but this is just the start. Thank you very much.
1:09 PM
home for sale costa rica said…
Hi, i'm really interested in this post...I want to know more about "Take the test".

Thats exactly what I was searching in this time...

Thanks!!!
1:33 PM
Health News said…
I can't believe how much of this I just wasn't aware of. Thank you for bringing more information to this topic for me. I'm truly grateful and really impressed.
2:07 AM
Anonymous said…
Dsquared I have really enjoyied reading your well written article. It looks like you spend a lot of effort and time on your blog. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work! · sfjoxiaujld Dsquared *
12:49 AM
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