[TYPO3-core] RFC: #10777: Bug: Make versioning module skinnable
Dmitry Dulepov
dmitry at typo3.org
Thu Mar 26 17:16:19 CET 2009
Hi Benni!
First of all, thanks for your post :)
Benjamin Mack wrote:
> You know, my problem is that we asked Jens, he created icons one year
> ago and they're still floating around, and now we don't like them,
> because it could offend our existing style. With this attitude, we're
> never able to change something in the design, we can only create
> someting new (like a t3skin-v2 that might be someday replace the
> existing one). We really miss some leader in design aspects who decides
> in which direction the Backend goes.
TYPO3 design team exists and they are good in design. Did anyone ask them for icons? It is not a task of HCI team to make icons. HCI team should be about ~interaction~, not about graphics design.
> We have a HCI team but there are mostly coders in there, and even though
> there are non-programmers there, it seems that they don't have such an
> authority that we even need to disucss stuff like that here.
Most people do not know the theory behind colors, icons, margins, alignment, controls, etc. As a result open source UIs often look like Christmas trees instead of Mac OS X like simple UIs.
It took me a year of daily learning to start seeing all these small problematic things in UI. So when I see them in HCI team proposals, it hurts. HCI team proposals do not look professional.
The team was formed very quietly and privately. The team proposes its changes as the absolute truth and demands respect and authority. But on what basis? The team does not include anyone who really knows HCI. Okay, one exception: Jens was trained in arts (not HCI though) and his initial work at T3DD06 was very promising. That's all. So what authority could the team have? Tiny to none. Just saying "I am in HCI team" or "I know stuff" means nothing unless there is something real to show. I highly respect all these guys as a programmers because I know they are capable as programmers. But they are not capable as HCI specialists. Sorry, hard but truth.
This is not a criticism. I avoid criticising these days. It hurts everyone because everyone feels like an expert, even if there is no basis behind it.
> Dmitry, this is no critism to you, but a general issue we're facing in
> TYPO3 development for a couple of years now, and it would be great if we
> have some new enthusiasm in the design aspect of the backend (probably
> from none of the core team :), someone external).
I am quite immune to criticism now. Most likely I will leave TYPO3 after 4.3 is out. I do not see myself in this project anymore. I just try to prevent some obvious HCI or code errors from getting in. But I do not insist on anything. If HCI team really wants these icons, why not? Let it be "Christmas tree" Backend. But you'd better ask the design team to look at it.
[1] http://www.adobe.com/devnet/fireworks/articles/cooper_prototyping.html
--
Dmitry Dulepov
TYPO3 core team
http://dmitry-dulepov.com/article/redirects-typo3-and-realurl-vs-mod-rewrite.html
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