thinkwired
Distinguished
As someone who does usability testing for a living. knows enough about computers/components to create my own PC BUT, not enough that I know what constitutes a good PSU vs a bad one...I figured I should offer my 2 cents.
I actually needed this list. I am your demo.
This list is not as user friendly as it could be. You don't know that because you're an advanced user. You have to realize that the people who would typically understand this list, don't need it. If you saw what I saw in usability tests, your mind would be blown. People struggle to search the internet. People struggle to copy and paste a file. People ask "how do I add a widget..." with a giant green "ADD A Widget" button right in the middle of their screen.
Great you say... how do we make it better? The reality is, I still (after reading this ENTIRE thread) don't know enough about PSU's to know the exact best way to present this information. For me to know the best solution I would have to become a subject matter expert or work closely with one.
I will however share my thoughts which will likely shed more light on the problem than the solution.
The list is too complicated. The size, length, format should be made simpler to understand. The problem is, it will require a bit more work and it seems as though that isn't feasible (based on what I've read).
1. Color coding should not be used for anything. Its complicated and it ignores people with disabilities. Forget about people who use screen readers, some people are just plain old color blind.
2. Someone in the thread joked about how there should be 3 tiers -- great, good, and dumpster fire. That person isn't far off from what should actually be done. If you can't rank them in order from 1-100 then you should really classify them by what they are. I am cool with the high end vs mid but, then it should jump to not good enough. If you want to create a 4th tier for actual fire hazards, that's cool too.
3. The older models should be removed from the list on the page but, left in the spreadsheet. This list needs to be shorter.
4. The list should be broken down by wattage. Having a 500w unit on the list next to a 1600w does me no good. It simply creates more options and noise. It makes the list hard to use. Leave the master list in the spreadsheet alone but break the online list into multiple threads based on wattage ranges, just like a search filter on newegg, bestbuy, etc.
I know #3 and #4 will be pushed back on because they are too much work but, are they really? Create columns in the spreadsheet to denote older models, sort by that column, and copy and paste. Seems simple enough. The same can be done for wattage but you'd have to break them out if they haven't been already.
The result will be a MUCH more usable list. If one of you took the time to do this and put it on your own website, it would become the official source.
I hope this helps. After reading this whole thread I'm not sure it does but, I figured it was worth a shot. We (typical people) need this list.
I actually needed this list. I am your demo.
This list is not as user friendly as it could be. You don't know that because you're an advanced user. You have to realize that the people who would typically understand this list, don't need it. If you saw what I saw in usability tests, your mind would be blown. People struggle to search the internet. People struggle to copy and paste a file. People ask "how do I add a widget..." with a giant green "ADD A Widget" button right in the middle of their screen.
Great you say... how do we make it better? The reality is, I still (after reading this ENTIRE thread) don't know enough about PSU's to know the exact best way to present this information. For me to know the best solution I would have to become a subject matter expert or work closely with one.
I will however share my thoughts which will likely shed more light on the problem than the solution.
The list is too complicated. The size, length, format should be made simpler to understand. The problem is, it will require a bit more work and it seems as though that isn't feasible (based on what I've read).
1. Color coding should not be used for anything. Its complicated and it ignores people with disabilities. Forget about people who use screen readers, some people are just plain old color blind.
2. Someone in the thread joked about how there should be 3 tiers -- great, good, and dumpster fire. That person isn't far off from what should actually be done. If you can't rank them in order from 1-100 then you should really classify them by what they are. I am cool with the high end vs mid but, then it should jump to not good enough. If you want to create a 4th tier for actual fire hazards, that's cool too.
3. The older models should be removed from the list on the page but, left in the spreadsheet. This list needs to be shorter.
4. The list should be broken down by wattage. Having a 500w unit on the list next to a 1600w does me no good. It simply creates more options and noise. It makes the list hard to use. Leave the master list in the spreadsheet alone but break the online list into multiple threads based on wattage ranges, just like a search filter on newegg, bestbuy, etc.
I know #3 and #4 will be pushed back on because they are too much work but, are they really? Create columns in the spreadsheet to denote older models, sort by that column, and copy and paste. Seems simple enough. The same can be done for wattage but you'd have to break them out if they haven't been already.
The result will be a MUCH more usable list. If one of you took the time to do this and put it on your own website, it would become the official source.
I hope this helps. After reading this whole thread I'm not sure it does but, I figured it was worth a shot. We (typical people) need this list.
Last edited: