GUI design

[Spogg]

Many thanks for your contribution nix

Cheers

Spogg

[nix]

Very welcome!

[Phil Thalasso]

Hello you all,

here's a paper I came across. Seems to be on topic:

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... tic_review

Above link leads to further reading at the bottom of the web-page, such as

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... for_Timbre
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... bre_Design

And finally a link to a free program which is really good for "painting" textures:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/PORTABLE-S ... tion.shtml

Regards
Phil

[tulamide]

Here's a great video about design decisions in Reason (it seems to become a series, so I'm eager to seeing more DAWs being featured)
https://youtu.be/7PFRyONURSo

[Phil Thalasso]

Hello you all,

here's an interesting article on topic:
https://medium.com/@erikdkennedy/7-rule ... 9d4e805cda
https://medium.com/@erikdkennedy/7-rule ... 0de537ba96
Subtitle: "A guide to visual aesthetics, written by a nerd"

Regards
Phil

[Phil Thalasso]

Hello you all,

this sketch of an interface is about making a GUI that doesn't follow any rules for good user experience. Sort of artsy, although not as self-explaining as some of Duchamp's works were
You'll probably have to look inside the schematic to figure out what is what.
It would be really neat if someone had a ribbon-controller (like for a trautonium manual) to include in that schematic.

Regards
Phil

[Spogg]

Oh wow that’s so pretty!

I once had the idea of making a “mystery” synth where the user had to work out what did what. But then I thought that I would never respond to such an idea myself.

What you could maybe think about is having a floating tool-tip system, or a box below which tells the function on mouse-over. The user would then be able to learn where stuff was.

Very interesting idea Phil!

Spogg

[trogluddite]

this sketch of an interface is about making a GUI that doesn't follow any rules for good user experience. Sort of artsy, although not as self-explaining as some of Duchamp's works were

That is very attractive, I have to say!

It puts me in mind of a principle I liked to try to work to sometimes, though in a sense, the opposite of having "mystery controls". That is, trying to use icons/symbols/graphs etc. to explain everything graphically without using any words on a GUI. Partly with the idea that controls might actually be quicker to find if you didn't need to parse labels, and also so that the designs would be "internationalised" by removing the need for written language.

I'm rather fond of plugins that have an element of chance, too - a bit of serendipity can go a long way when a project is stalled, I find. Maybe we should add a "random setting" input to the stock controls? - I'd definitely use it. I can think of one "good UI rule" that you haven't broken - that every control always does the same thing each time you use it! I'm imagining the ultimate "Dada" plugin - each time you use a control, the controls get randomly swapped around so that they all do different things, or even just have one big control that chooses a random parameter to change each time you interact with it!

[Phil Thalasso]

Hello all,

thank you for the input you two guys. Spogg, you're absolutely right that a tool-tip or maybe labeling of sorts should be included. Following your idea, Trogluddite, maybe a flow schematic could be useful. If I were really talented, I'd take a shot at developing some set of consistent icons. Otto Aicher (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otl_Aicher) taught at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm / southern Germany and has published some very instructive works on icon design. He's famous for many things, amongst these the Braun Logo. Maybe if one could get an idea of what all would be necessary to include in a complete icon set, that would make a nice project for a graduation thesis at a design school. I'm not aware of anything alike having been published.

Since about a year or so I really got into modular gear (hardware and software) and if I know one thing that hacks me off royally, it's cryptic manuals and poor labeling. But then again, companies such as Make Noise do prosper with design that confuses more than it helps. Well, it confuses me at least. Intellijel modules have some optically pleasing and actually guiding graphics on them. Maybe these could be an inspiration for icons?

The dada-version of synth was already taken up by someone else, although not by means of a randomized control. After all, that's a worthy thought too! Check this out, if you want to:
http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?pl ... se&id=1909

Best Regards
Phil

[trogluddite]

one thing that hacks me off royally, it's cryptic manuals and poor labeling

Yes, it's something that can put me off using a plugin or other kit, no matter how appealing the sound. My biggest bug-bear is VST GUI's that aim for a kind of "hardware realism" that includes emulating visual problems that many hardware designers would avoid if only they could; for example, obscuring labels with simulated shadows, fake "glare" on displays, latching push buttons where depressed/released is indicated by the merest of drop-shadows, etc.

Thanks for the VST link, too, I'll definitely give that a go. The User Guide that supplied with it was quite an interesting read - not unlike some of Brian Eno's thoughts about the process of making music; especially the danger of getting trapped in perfectionism (something I'm very inclined to do.)