[wp-hackers] Wordpress 1.5 downloads

[Rob Mientjes]

On 02/01/06, Elliotte Harold <elharo at metalab.unc.edu> wrote:
> No, I'm talking about usability testing and usability issues. I know
> some people are confusing this with simple functional testing, but
> that's just a symptom of how poorly trained most programmers are w.r.t.
> usability issues. Fixing all the outright bugs would not fix the
> problems. In fact, it wouldn't begin to address the real issues.

Thank you, I hope everyone's reading this. Usability has oh so little
to do with programming.

> I'll repeat: to design usable software you have to test with real users.
> The goal here is not to find bugs. It is to identify the software
> designer's misconceptions about how users understand and use the
> product. It is to identify the points where the UI is confusing and
> needs to be redesigned.

Yes, but for the record, the stuff that should be adjusted whenever
needed should be adjusted by "experts", not 'some programmer' (all due
respect, of course, but know your place--and yes, I know mine). Bad
adjustments are as bad or even worse than no adjustments at all, which
is what we're aiming at here: a _better_ experience for everyone
(well, most anyway).

> New features should not be implemented without testing them on real
> people in the target audience, not just WordPress programmers. Old
> features should not be redesigned without testing them on real people.
> Otherwise you're shooting arrows blindfolded in the dark and hoping you
> hit the target. Only watching people use the software lets you find out
> what works and what doesn't.

And with that in mind, I shall put my father to the task and let him
perform the Install, Write, Delete procedure and all that relates to
it directly. I'll try and report my findings and suggest improvements,
or at the very least points that prove troublesome.

*zips lips*

-Rob.