Crafting Better Open Source User Experiences
"Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow."
~Linus Torvalds ("Linus's Law")
The peer and the "battle of ideas" in open source software development has produced some of the most well architected software ever coded. However, the widespread consumer adoption of open source software has been hampered by usability issues. A pleasant user experience relies on a coherent, consistent and unified vision. In this context, "Linus' Law" starts to sound a lot more like "too many cooks in the kitchen".
This session will focus on the issues involved with creating a great user experience within an community driven open source project. I will compare and contrast various application user interfaces, calling out projects that are doing it wrong. I will also take a closer look at projects leading the way, sharing their insights and approaches.
Rick’s work as the Sales Manager at ImageX Media focuses on providing solutions to the problems that our clients face. Rick’s main day-to-day duties at ImageX involve interacting with clients, chasing down leads, writing proposals and providing consulting services. As a “true believer” of Drupal’s vision and value, Rick finds himself evangelizing the platform wherever he goes.
Rick has been enthralled with technology and how things works for as long as he can remember. His continuous tinkering landed him a job at a local computer repair shop as a teenager. He has worked with technology ever since. Rick started working with ImageX part-time during his Sociology undergrad at the University of British Columbia. The most rewarding part of working at a small, growing company has been seeing how he can have direct impact on the direction and well-being of a business.
