Introduction - Use for a UI designer at this time?

[origamido]

Hello!

I wasn't sure where one should post an introduction, but this seemed the best place, let me know if I've made a mistake.

I recently became aware of LinuxMCE and recently had the chance to install it. It is (mostly) working, though I'm really just using it for basic home automation at the moment, I don't have any other machines to use outside the core. Though it does seem much more robust than MisterHouse, which I had been using before. I've enjoyed watching the video demonstrations and reading through the wiki, and I was wondering if there was a way I could contribute to the project at this point.

I'm a graphic designer with a few years experience in UI design, though a lot of my work is in identity and brand creation, interactive design is such a great combination of art and science I take the opportunity when I get it. Unfortunately, I'm not very technically capable. The best I can do is html/css and some xml, but I usually work with a developer when creating applications and the more complicated websites. I read the entries in the wiki and watched the videos about how the UI is put together, but I don't have a windows machine, and I think I'd need to actually use Designer to wrap my head around how it works and what it's limitations are.

My question is, can I be of any help, or are non-technical contributions more hindrance than help at this point in the project?
I really like the capabilities of LinuxMCE, and I would love to help improve the user experience. Please let me know if there is anything I can do.


Thanks for your time!


-John

[totallymaxed]

Hello!

I wasn't sure where one should post an introduction, but this seemed the best place, let me know if I've made a mistake.

I recently became aware of LinuxMCE and recently had the chance to install it. It is (mostly) working, though I'm really just using it for basic home automation at the moment, I don't have any other machines to use outside the core. Though it does seem much more robust than MisterHouse, which I had been using before. I've enjoyed watching the video demonstrations and reading through the wiki, and I was wondering if there was a way I could contribute to the project at this point.

I'm a graphic designer with a few years experience in UI design, though a lot of my work is in identity and brand creation, interactive design is such a great combination of art and science I take the opportunity when I get it. Unfortunately, I'm not very technically capable. The best I can do is html/css and some xml, but I usually work with a developer when creating applications and the more complicated websites. I read the entries in the wiki and watched the videos about how the UI is put together, but I don't have a windows machine, and I think I'd need to actually use Designer to wrap my head around how it works and what it's limitations are.

My question is, can I be of any help, or are non-technical contributions more hindrance than help at this point in the project?
I really like the capabilities of LinuxMCE, and I would love to help improve the user experience. Please let me know if there is anything I can do.


Thanks for your time!


-John

Hi John,

Great to have you join the community here. Welcome!

We really need people like yourself with a strong design background to work on and improve the overall experience of the UI and also of cause the visual 'look & feel' too. I would suggest you make contact with Thom here on the forums or in the Dev channel on irc (#linuxmce-devel) to see how best we can get you upto speed.

All the best

Andrew

[merkur2k]

I second the invitation to come talk to us on irc.
My background is technical in nature with very little design, much like the typical web developer you would be used to working with. I have basically just been waiting for someone to help come up with some good UI ideas for the web admin, which it sounds like you may be able to help with

[origamido]

Hello again,

I had a chance to correspond with a few of you, and it was suggested I post my questions here. I'm going to go ahead and do some basic mock-ups in the next week or so, but first I need to make sure I've got a handle on two things:

What are the limitations of the interface technology being used now? I believe I have a rough idea of what I can and cannot do, but I'd like to be sure I'm not making any fundamental errors right off the bat. Most of my understanding is in webpage design and work for mobile apps. Most of that is very flexible and adaptable to a variety of displays and applications and It's my understanding that this is more of a scaled image map. Is this correct? What other major UI pitfalls are there? Are there significant advantages that I should look to capitalize on?

Secondly, while I have a basic idea of the important features in the system, I thought it might save a lot of time if people were able to chime in on the features they feel are important or the features they use the most.

Normally I'll build a basic mockup, then build an interactive mockup for "paper prototype" testing. I may do something similar here, but with an established base of users, we might be able to take some usability shortcuts.

Anyway, once I think I've got a handle on the project, I'll put together some mockups and we can go from there.


Looking forward to hearing from you!


John

[tkmedia]

Hello again,

I had a chance to correspond with a few of you, and it was suggested I post my questions here. I'm going to go ahead and do some basic mock-ups in the next week or so, but first I need to make sure I've got a handle on two things:

What are the limitations of the interface technology being used now? I believe I have a rough idea of what I can and cannot do, but I'd like to be sure I'm not making any fundamental errors right off the bat. Most of my understanding is in webpage design and work for mobile apps. Most of that is very flexible and adaptable to a variety of displays and applications and It's my understanding that this is more of a scaled image map. Is this correct? What other major UI pitfalls are there? Are there significant advantages that I should look to capitalize on?

Secondly, while I have a basic idea of the important features in the system, I thought it might save a lot of time if people were able to chime in on the features they feel are important or the features they use the most.

Normally I'll build a basic mockup, then build an interactive mockup for "paper prototype" testing. I may do something similar here, but with an established base of users, we might be able to take some usability shortcuts.

Anyway, once I think I've got a handle on the project, I'll put together some mockups and we can go from there.


Looking forward to hearing from you!


John

Great welcome aboard

Just what the Doctor ordered.


Tim