AutoCAD Product Manager, author of blog what a Mesh!, and hard rockin’ bass guitarist Guillermo Melantoni has asked for people to send him screen captures of their AutoCAD desktop UI. He is looking for visual research data on how people setup their AutoCAD to look. Audience participation part 1 – MyUI .
Here is my AutoCAD desktop, pretty plain other than custom colors and perhaps a few things missing that I hid some things on purpose. I really do use the ribbon now with AutoCAD 2010 along with most users as evidenced by the CIP data we receive daily from thousands of AutoCAD users who choose to send the great data.
You can use Snagit to capture the screen image or the free Jing (for Mac or Windows) from the same awesome company Techsmith. So grab a screen capture of how you set your AutoCAD up and send it to Guillermo as he requested in his blog post.
OK now it is your turn to send your desktop image to Guillermo.
Cheers,
Shaan
If the things that you hid on purpose include your toolbars, you missed one. 😉
I again encourage you to lend credibility to your assertion that most users use the Ribbon by providing full details of exactly how that is measured. The large sample size of CIP is great, but it provides no guarantee that the data is being measured and interpreted appropriately. From a 2008 blog posting of mine:
“However, because the details of the CIP measurement mechanism aren’t public, its accuracy is open to conjecture. For example, if somebody spends 8 hours working in a Ribbonless session and then tries out the Ribbon in another session for a few minutes, does that count as a score of 1-1, or is the time used taken into account? If somebody works Ribbonless except when using the Block Editor (personally, I think the Ribbon works well there), is a flag raised that says the Ribbon was used during the session? Does that then count as one Ribbon Session and no Ribbonless sessions? (Shaan, you’re very welcome to put that speculation to rest with some details of how it works).”
Note that I’m not saying that your assertion is wrong, I’m merely asking you to strengthen it. 🙂
I would definitly trust tens of thousands of production users daily data on AutoCAD use than a few dozen people on a web poll. 🙂
As for the toolbar, that is actually a shipping toolbar from a AutoCAD 2010 Subscription Advantage Pack.
Shaan
Yup, I recognised the toolbar. Autodesk is to be commended for providing it.
You know my views about unsubstantiated statistical claims, and I won’t clutter up your blog with that argument. I have my own blog for stuff like that. 🙂
Steve,
The problem is unless you took the data and applied the research you would always call it unsubstantiated.
We have a very experienced team of researchers working on this data that I fully trust their raw and prepared results.
Soon you will see more of the CIP data in use for the benefit of customers.
-Shaan
No, that’s not the problem, I don’t need to do the data capture and statistical analysis myself. The problem is that there is no independent scrutiny of the methods whatsoever. While I don’t doubt that Autodesk employs a fine team of researchers, I’m afraid I have too much experience with statistics and their misuse (accidental or not) to be able to share your blind faith.
Sorry, we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. More on my blog later.
Yes, we will have to agree to disagree. I would be suspicious of any data you collected, the motivation of those providing info, a statistically large enough sampling, or your experience. This is the inherent distrust of data which affects anyone reading polls or stats. Nobody trusts anyone regardless of methods or controls. We also have scientific statical research from 3rd party research firms that contact customers to also supplement our data.
One thing from my vantage point is Autodesk has never had such good sound data on how our products are being used by the customers. No web poll, leading questions, or gut feeling can trump the quantity and quality of data.
Cheers,
Shaan
You’re still missing the point, and in a pretty insulting way. Not impressed. I’m done here.
Steve,
Sorry, I am not trying to insult, just explain that most only feel good about data they collect themselves.
I was also pointing out we have an extensive research team and multiple data sources to make observations on product usage. I would put our research and data up as the most complete anywhere.
I do not have “Blind Faith” as you put it, but have confidence just as you have confidence in your opinions or experience. Your comments made it sound as if we could not have any valid data unless we had you review it.
I said I was done here, but maybe I should end on a less hostile note by explaining my position better. I’m not saying your data is invalid, I’m saying that without seeing the details I can’t know if the conclusion you have drawn from your data is valid or not. Big difference.
Data is not the same as information. It needs interpretation before any conclusions can be reached based on it. There are judgement calls to be made, unspoken assumptions that may be present. How biased is the sample represented by CIP-enabled users, for example? If other research has shown that CIP users are exactly representative of normal users in their UI usage, then fair enough, there is no bias to allow for. If that lack of bias has just been assumed (“There are lots of them so they must represent a typical cross-section”), then that assumption can and should be challenged.
It doesn’t matter how many millions of data points you have if you have a significantly biased sample; you will merely have a very large biased sample. Is the sample significantly biased in this case? I don’t know. It’s quite possible it’s not, but I won’t just assume it isn’t, based on zero information.
For better or worse, most people are pretty cynical about marketing claims these days, regardless of the source. Showing willingness to allow external scrutiny can only be good for the credibility of such claims. No, not just scrutiny by me. Put it all out there as a matter of course for everyone to see. Openness as the default rather than the exception; what a cool concept!
Thank you Steve. I try to be as transparant as I can as does the company and hopefully you understand that.
Regarding CIP, have you tried out Community Commands feature on Labs? http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/acad_community_commands/