GOAL OF PROJECT:
To create one sensation from grub to shutdown, where the user whenever she is
outside of the desktop environment and interacting with the parts needed to
make the desktop environment make sense feel like she is part of one unified
whole instead of several small bits and pieces all working on their own.
PROJECT HISTORY AND ISSUES:
All you all probably recall the initial release of it was met with very
negative opinions, mostly based on details (like the grub menu being bright
blue) and that parts where implemented but not the whole making if feel less
as a whole than some new details. Now these criticisms will come again during
this release but it will at least be the criticism towards something new, than
something that simply does not work to accomplish the intended effect.
Due to the projects size it has put a massive strain on the way we, developers
and designers work. As the design in itself is in practice several small parts
all being redesined individually it seems fairly straight forward, but without
them all based on each other as one overarching whole, they simply don't make
sense. Since it is almost impossible to test for designers before release and
small glitches or misunderstandings when finally discovered are incredibly huge
issues for the design - it becomes frustrating to designers. Since these fixes
comes in AFTER the work is done and released and what seems as frivolous
changes that are technically huge are pushed hard by designers, its incredibly
frustrating for developers.
Added to that the several different channels of communications means individual
devs for each individual part talk to individual designers. Confusion ensues
when the way designers and devs work, individual designers have fun ideas and
suggestions that get easily translated into "hmmm the VDG wants this". Then
the VDG as a whole notice parts have been implemented assuming that "hmmm the
devs wants this" and the whole cycle continues.
PROJECT FIX:
This is a rather new development for us - and it requires some kind of
extraordinary fix.
We have settled for two: the first is to set the entire project on lockdown.
That means that ALL information not being followed by a "This is the opinion
of the VDG that we want to implement" and combined with mockups or wikiedits
is NOT ment as anything more as discussion topics or looking for theoretical
input from the developers. We will as a group ensure that we minimize all this
as much as possible, be clear with our intentions in discussions and that we
as a group sign off properly on work.
Second fix is the barebone-design of the project. What this is is that we
create the BARE MINIMUM of what is needed for the design to work. A minimum of
animations, effects etc. The entire design we are sending you now is what is
the minimum for the entire project to make sense. The reason for that is so
that instead of regressions, we have addons. Perhaps a new animation in the
future, perhaps some tweaked placement or color changes at some point. What
will NOT happen is that you (developers) will have people from us (VDG)
turning up a month or two away demanding that everything in a certain area
will be scrapped.
What we need, the VDG, is that when something is not clear, when something
isn't obvious to you in the mockups - no matter how silly it may seem - you
have to ask. And you have to accept that there may not be a direct answer. The
person you ask may not be able to answer and it is up to us in the VDG to
ensure that we all feel capable of saying "I don't know" (which has been an
issue before). Our point is to ensure that the answer you get is correct.
What am I showing when the user doesn't have a face set?
This or the the icons Andreas made or the icon from search?