Live data from Hacker News

Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity

desktopneo.com

211–220 of 325 posts

Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity

#211
post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not an assumption, the commenter also clearly stated, "I hope that's constructive". To some of us, it sounds belittling and dismissive, regardless of how well he knows his company better than us.

There is a big difference between "I don't believe you were trying to be constructive", (which make assumptions about intent) and "I found your critique to be un-constructive, here's why:" The former adds nothing to the conversation and is pretty close to being a personal attack, the latter provides feedback and (may) prompt constructive debate about how to provide critique.

Sure, here's why it's not constructive: not once in the parent comment is an alternative suggested or a question raised.

Just a list of things that are "wrong," according to the poster.

Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity

#212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

would be funny if this guy became the next Jonathan Ive so we could see this feedback in a different light 10 years from now.

I'm perhaps in a minority here, but Jon Ive isn't that great. I mean my iphone should have a notice/indicator light on the front. It wouldn't have been that hard to put an LED behind the glass so that if I leave my phone in the other room and I receive a message or something, then simply walking past my phone, the blinking light will catch my attention.

Right, but this way to check your messages, you pick your phone up and interact with it constantly. That's good for Apple.

Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity

#213
post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple is just using another approach to having power users and novices using the same UI. How many people started by using a mouse for Edit (copy) before using, [Alt] [E]dit (copy), then Ctrl-C all in one step. Yes, you need to memorize Ctrl-C, but that's not a long term issue. The same is true of touch interfaces, you can use them knowing few shortcuts and slowly add more over time. People spend hours a day interact…

Keyboard shortcuts have good discoverability in most applications, because they're listed alongside the drop-down menu options. If you use Edit->Copy a lot, you can see in the menu that there's a keyboard shortcut. Many of Apple's UI interactions can only be discovered through guesswork or reading the docs. If you open Launchpad often, nothing alerts you to the fact that there's a touchpad gesture for that. Unlabeled…

Windows OS is full of shortcuts that are non obvious ex: Windows + E or even the classic Alt + Tab.

Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity

#214

I've sometimes thought the most egalitarian way to design a GUI would be to make it exquisitely accessible to the blind. This would force designers to organize their GUI with sensible, navigable hierarchies of data and controls. To me, an exquisitely blind-accessible GUI's should function like a fancy keyboard navigable/editable graph data structure that echoes the hierarchies and relationships represented on the sig…

This is a very good point. Much of this UI is based on visual clues and accessibility seems to be an afterthought. A three finger tap or swipe is not easy for everyone. I'd like to see more (digital) navigation based on actual (physical) navigation -- waypoint labels and directional paths.

Any swipe is virtually impossible in an office situation. Not everyone works hunched over a macbook. Reaching up to my monitor two swipe would destroy my shoulder.

Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity

#215
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work at a company where we hire people for exactly that kind of gig, with a heavy focus on building prototypes of your designs that are actually usable because that's the only viable way to design interfaces. Here's feedback as to why I'm not sending this website to my studio lead to schedule a phone screen with the designer: 1) reused assets from other companies (big no no, even for just a mockup) that are inconsi…

I have no experience in your field, but I'm very surprised to hear that this isn't worth a phone screen for a 21 year old. Tough industry!

Yeah this is ludicrous. There are thousands of designers making a killing in tech who don't show this level of refinement, effort, or robustness in their thought.

He's just being a jerk to be a jerk.

Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity

#216
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work at a company where we hire people for exactly that kind of gig, with a heavy focus on building prototypes of your designs that are actually usable because that's the only viable way to design interfaces. Here's feedback as to why I'm not sending this website to my studio lead to schedule a phone screen with the designer: 1) reused assets from other companies (big no no, even for just a mockup) that are inconsi…

> the candidate is not a strong graphic designer, not a strong prototyper, nor a strong researcher. The candidate is 21 years old and looking for an internship. Would you really expect them to be strong at any of those. It seems he/she does have some strengths doesn't it? Would it not be useful to focus on those and see how the others could be developed? Your reply really doesn't come off as an attempt to be construc…

The ability to just pull a project of this scale to completion is something that virtually no 21 year old has. That alone is worth something to a company with some sense.

There's obviously a strong foundation for the hard skills (like visual design or prototyping or copywriting) that can be easily built upon in the field. That's the whole point of an internship: find a hard worker with a good foundation, teach them how to succeed in your company.

Not sure what the hell parent comment's problem is.

Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity

#218
Hmm.. not sure. Doesn't look like my kind of interface really. but I would probably still give it a try. Just one thing... the word productivity is used a lot but I see only webpages and file searches. Where's the cad/cam interfaces, the triple log file tailing terminals.. How would you gesture or speak an image to Gimp?

Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity

#219
post #73

It seems like a lot of people skimmed without reading the top or bottom of this site: It's not a company. It's not a product. You're not being asked to buy it or buy into it, just to discuss the concept if you'd like. This website is a portfolio piece for a 21-year-old university student hoping to find an internship. In my opinion, it's an impressive demonstration of his design and technical skills. It certainly says…

I work at a company where we hire people for exactly that kind of gig, with a heavy focus on building prototypes of your designs that are actually usable because that's the only viable way to design interfaces. Here's feedback as to why I'm not sending this website to my studio lead to schedule a phone screen with the designer: 1) reused assets from other companies (big no no, even for just a mockup) that are inconsi…

What's the name of your company?

Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity

#220
post #89
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work at a company where we hire people for exactly that kind of gig, with a heavy focus on building prototypes of your designs that are actually usable because that's the only viable way to design interfaces. Here's feedback as to why I'm not sending this website to my studio lead to schedule a phone screen with the designer: 1) reused assets from other companies (big no no, even for just a mockup) that are inconsi…

>So this tells me that the candidate is not a strong graphic designer, not a strong prototyper, nor a strong researcher. I'm not a graphic designer nor do I hire them, but your conclusion seems overly dramatic. Perhaps this prototype does not meet your high bar, but that does not mean that the candidate overall is not qualified. It just means that this particular work did not demonstrate these skills to your satisfac…

I think he's qualified to be an intern, I don't think he's strong in any particular area.

However that's not an issue, since he's a student. Experience, and further learning will make him absolutely exception in a single area or multiple ones.

However that's speaking in comparison to everyone else in the world.

In comparison to other students, he's done a fairly good job.

Post reply on HN