Performance versus Features
Which won in the development of the software Performance or Features? Well...Features won, outright, no contest!
Fourteen months worth of features, and all the time we ignored the performance. Well we didn't ignore it, the performance issues were always there we just chose to bury them in favour of more features. The argument for us seemed simple, more features, more commercial attraction and when your experimenting with a concept, then your never sure when the user is going to'get it' so you build in more stuff so they can't fail to find something that will prove useful. With i-Sho mission creep is easy, problem is its also expensive in time and money. Should we regret it? No, not at all. The software is now a really powerful tool, sure its still got some rough edges and we could make the usability better and there are definately still a zilliion more features we'd like to add, but the software feels 'complete' no wrong word, it feels substantial. Now its time to make the performance great, to make it so that manipulation is fast, smooth and easy, so that file transfer to and from the Hub is seamless and quick. To make the app open immediately and close quickly and for i-Sho to sit lightly on the PC in terms of resources. Up till now maximum file numbers have been about 300 images, once the next release is out we reckon server channels of 5000 images plus to be easily achievable and other icon represented files of 10,000. Big numbers, which means that the app can truly be used as intended. For groups that range from schools to colleges, businesses to clubs and most importantly as a lifecaching archive for families and friends. Roll on the next release.
Fourteen months worth of features, and all the time we ignored the performance. Well we didn't ignore it, the performance issues were always there we just chose to bury them in favour of more features. The argument for us seemed simple, more features, more commercial attraction and when your experimenting with a concept, then your never sure when the user is going to'get it' so you build in more stuff so they can't fail to find something that will prove useful. With i-Sho mission creep is easy, problem is its also expensive in time and money. Should we regret it? No, not at all. The software is now a really powerful tool, sure its still got some rough edges and we could make the usability better and there are definately still a zilliion more features we'd like to add, but the software feels 'complete' no wrong word, it feels substantial. Now its time to make the performance great, to make it so that manipulation is fast, smooth and easy, so that file transfer to and from the Hub is seamless and quick. To make the app open immediately and close quickly and for i-Sho to sit lightly on the PC in terms of resources. Up till now maximum file numbers have been about 300 images, once the next release is out we reckon server channels of 5000 images plus to be easily achievable and other icon represented files of 10,000. Big numbers, which means that the app can truly be used as intended. For groups that range from schools to colleges, businesses to clubs and most importantly as a lifecaching archive for families and friends. Roll on the next release.
posted by tim (i-Sho Administrator) at 11:18 pm
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