#ExcelPedroWave

Power of imagination

A good exercise for a GUI developer is putting instead of the user and to imagine what customers want when they interact with a computer application.

This exercise, which at first seems so easy, it is not too easy for a programmer accustomed to using multiple software development interfaces, to be handled skillfully in different graphics platforms and changing instantly applications, seemingly effortlessly.

Whether this programmer wants to test their development, from the end user viewpoint, will be unable to know what the user wants of your application because, as an occupational deformation, will not know how that user behaves in front of this new graphical  interface.


The power does not have the programmers who can not imagine what users want. The real power are from the end users of a program that will use or stop using it depending on their reactions and behavior towards the graphical user interface. It is therefore very important to take into account their views and criticisms that often go unnoticed because users do not bother to report them and the developers do not spend time and effort to ask them.


How to figure out what users expect

It said so for over ten years, the software guru by excellence Joel Spolsky in his famous article on:
Interface Design for Programmers - Chapter 2: Figuring Out What They Expected

Is to say that it is better to ask users who are not programmers to get what ordinary mortals want and expect from a program or a computer application, because those users are not influenced by the customs and foibles of those who are programmers and impression and opinion on the graphical interface will be closer to the feelings and applications will give the end user.

I can not imagine or figure out that a user will not accustomed to many applications with mine but I am sure is that the actions that the user does with my program or omissions of my program will compare with many or few programs which has used before, and this comparison lead to the fair criteria like or dislike my application.


An application to view images

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, it is best to let readers of this blog to see the new application that I prepared on a Thumbnail Image Browser in Excel, which is intended to replace the thumbnails and the Filmstrip view on Windows Explorer, in a more user-friendly graphical environment for users of Excel or at least that's what I intend to with this program.

Miniaturas_PW4.xls


My friend verzulsan, from AyudaExcel.com Forum, uploaded a video about version 2 of the Thumbnails Explorer and I want to share so you can compare with version 4 which can be downloaded from the link above:

End user does not expect explain to you anything about how to use the image browser, I leave as an exercise so you can see for yourself whether I've gotten better or worse Windows image browsing. I only want comments from you, just to be doubly sure.