Why Software Sucks, And Can Something Be Done About It? 498
CPNABEND tipped us to a story carried on the Fox News site, pointing out that a lot of programmers don't understand their users. David Platt, author of the new book 'Why Software Sucks ... And What You Can Do About It', looks at the end user experience with end user eyes. While technically inclined individuals tend to want control, Platt argues, most people just want something that works. On the other hand, the article also cites David Thomas, executive director of the Software & Information Industry Association. His opinion: Users don't know what they want. From the article: "'You don't want your customers to design your product,' he said. 'They're really bad at it.' As more and more software becomes Internet-based, he said, companies can more easily monitor their users' experiences and improve their programs with frequent updates. They have a financial incentive to do so, since more consumer traffic results in higher subscription or advertising revenues." Where does your opinion lay? Should software 'just work', or are users too lazy?
Non craply formatted version. (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Here's a question for you developers (Score:3, Informative)
Put in measurable terms (at least as much as possible), what you want it to do. This has the added benefit of making *YOU* think about what it needs to do, as opposed to having a "pretty good idea".
Second, the UI is king. Make sure the UI reflects what needs to be done, and not the internal architecture of the program. For example, I've been using a tool (which shall remain nameless, to protect the guilty), where to change a displayed value in a table, I can't just double-click the value -- I have to right click on the first column for that line, and select "Edit field N". Why? Because that's how the program does the change internally, and the UI reflect that instead of the task-based interface.
Re:Fine, not lazy (Score:5, Informative)
Au contraire! A bus does more damage when it runs across a roadway than would a line of cars with the same seating capacity because a larger amount of weight is put on the four (or perhaps six wheels - either double-axle or dual-wheel in the rear) wheels than from any car.
This is the reason why we have laws that say that vehicles over certain weights may not travel through certain neighborhoods except to make a delivery, and why you are supposed to need a commercial license to drive a vehicle over a certain weight. Of course, we don't actually enforce these laws because it means some rich people in LA and SF wouldn't be able to drive their Hummer home...
Garbage In, Garbage Out (Score:5, Informative)
Poochie!! (Score:3, Informative)
real-life problems, like the ones you face every day?
Kids: [clamoring] Oh, yeah! I would! Great idea! Yeah, that's it!
Man: And who would like to see them do just the opposite -- getting
into far-out situations involving robots and magic powers?
Kids: [clamoring] Me! Yeah! Oh, cool! Yeah, that's what I want!
Man: So, you want a realistic, down-to-earth show... that's
completely off-the-wall and swarming with magic robots?
Kids: [all agreeing, quieter this time] That's right. Oh yeah,
good.
Re:Of course it should just work. (Score:1, Informative)
The person that wants to listen to music is given a radio, but instead of learning how to read the tuner or turn any of the dials, he just mashes the buttons on it randomly and then gets angry because it isn't playing the smooth sounds of the 80's. If you want to perform a task that requires a completely unfamiliar and new kind of user interface, then you are also expected to learn how to use that interface, and this is where the average user gets frustrated.
Re:the userbase is everything (Score:3, Informative)
Not always. I had a promo copy of Light Factory. It had a bad problem of requiring MS SQL which ran after the program closed and left ports open. I complained loudly. They fixed it with the next upgrade (free) but in the process upgraded the registration process to lock a copy to the hardware. In a lighting application for public places, not haveing a hot spare is not an option.
I again complained and let them know why I switched to Freestyler.
Voytera decided to lock their piano tutor to requiring the CD in the drive to run much like a copy protected game. I also let them know that was the reason I'm not buying anything else from them. They used to be a good company with their Audiostation, but in todays world of running more than one program and having a large hard drive, I simply don't have the space to have every applications CD in the drive at the same time.
Software developers please note.. Piracy is not the only enemy. Competition exists and the products may work better than your product when yours is restricted. Crippled products don't sell well.
Re:Wanting less work != lazy (Score:3, Informative)
My landlady hasn't touched a computer in over a decade, but I hooked up a little PC to the internet for her, and she can happily look up what she wants and check her e-mail.
My brother doesn't even have a high school education, but he can run up torrents, install games, and use whatever software he wants without a word of hassle.
My sister isn't even literate enough to form a single sentence without massive grammar and spelling mistakes, yet somehow she can still manage to use her computer to shotgun me with proof of that on IM.
See, the thing is, I don't think things are too hard. Anyone who wants to figure out most software can. Sure, there's more advanced things that take some work, but you know what? Some tasks are just advanced, and actually require some thought to get working. From that point, it's up to the user to decide he or she wants to do it. A lot of people say they "can't" drive a standard. It doesn't mean that driving a standard is too complex, just that they don't want to figure it out.