Mastercam X - User Interface Survey

[Ken Erman from CNC Software Inc.]

Now that Mastercam X has been out for several months, we’d like to get your feedback on the new user interface. We want to make sure that our ongoing development continues to meet your needs. The following link takes you to a short online survey. Please fill out the survey once only. We appreciate your time and input.

 

The link will be active until Friday, December 23rd.

 

https://secure.mastercam.com/xsurvey/default.aspx

[MichaelJ]

"I have red/green color blindness."

what has that jot to do with mastercam?

[mayday]

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what has that jot to do with mastercam

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nothing, its whether or not you can see Xmas lights

[Ken Erman from CNC Software Inc.]

We have been concerned about color blindness when making bitmaps and icons to make sure we don't create something that can't be deciphered.

[CamCam10]

10% of the male population is colorblind. I am one of them. I find it difficult to see some of the features in programs that use green and red to indicate a certain condition of function. The first one that comes to mind is the point sorting menu in V9. The red + indicates the end of the tool path pattern. I have a very hard time seeing it. Some things are made more difficult to do by the software developer’s choice of colors.

[crazy^millman]

I am color blind as well big reason I use a black background.

[Code_Breaker]

Will the results be posted? Or was this for private use?

[LaszloK]

I would hope we would see the results at some point.

[Ken Erman from CNC Software Inc.]

Guess what!

 

The data collector thingie didn't record anyones input from when it was posted yesterday until now. The problem is now fixed.

 

So if it isn't too much trouble, please redo survey so we know what you said.

 

Sorry for the inconvienience... This is embarassing.

[mayday]

quote:

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The data collector thingie didn't record anyones input

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Bummer,

skiped Beta testing again huh?

 

j/k

[Code_Breaker]

second time around . . .

[Christine B from CNC Software]

Thanks to everyone who re-submitted their information. Keep those responses coming!

[Mjölnir]

quote:

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Mastercam X - User Interface Survey

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This is an extremely poor way to take a poll from which to base software design decisions on. That is, from a discussion forum that only a very small percentage of Mastercam users use where the results are likely to be very biased.

 

Of course, that could be the whole idea behind this poll to begin with. Have a small group of users and beta testers tell you what you want to hear so you can say "according to our survey that's what you wanted" when there's complaints about the software.

 

Why not send out a post card to all licensed X users informing them of the poll? That way, everybody who cares to respond has a voice, instead of just the few who frequent this forum.

[Ken Erman from CNC Software Inc.]

Bob - I guess i would respectfully disagree with your assumptions about this forum. From my reading this forum represents a pretty good cross section of Mastercam users. And as we are all aware people aren't afraid to tell us what they think.

 

We purposefully take a hands-off approach here because we want to know what people are thinking. If it were a "love fest" we wouldn't be hearing the truth. Of course we like it when people say good things about us, but that doesn't help us improve as much as constructive critisim.

 

If we were making umbrellas we would be out on the streets on rainy days asking people questions, because that's where the customers are and where the need is. Thats one of the ways we see this forum. This is the street where many of our customers are and there are certainly needs expressed.

 

This forum has had a significant impact on what's been added to the software because so many of the users are passionate and are not afraid to state their problems and opinions.

[beej]

Ken's right and besides--Most people who aren't on this forum talk fairly regularly with their resellers and tell them what they hate and like. (My reseller is probably tired of my opinions.) But a lot of those resellers are on this forum too.

 

How many people actually return postcard surveys? I'm not sure if I ever have.

[Code_Breaker]

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And as we are all aware people aren't afraid to tell us what they think.

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well said . . .

 

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I'd have to disagree with Bob as well. If CNC were to send our postcards, I can say with a fair degree of certainty(sp?) that 90% of those cards would end up in the round file. So of those 10% of users that would actually see the postcards, how many of those do you think would take the time to complete it as their boses are breating down their necks for the next part that is 2 weeks overdue??? Exactly. They are getting their biggest "bang for the buck" here from the forum. I see you are member # 12687, and there are more registered than that. That's a pretty good place to go fishing for product info.

 

to CNC for actually taking part in their user forum and wanting to hear from us..

[Chris Rizzo]

My response is too long for the survey box, and certainly too long for a postcard.

 

so here it is:

 

I started a quick count of all the icons available in X, but lost count somewhere around 350+. I suppose to achieve user-customization; every function must have a corresponding icon. A user will familiarize oneself with frequently used desktop and function icons. I myself have a nicely customized workspace with frequently used toolbars and icons on screen, but heavily rely upon the menu drop downs for other functions. Text works. It is a vernacular we all know. Icons are quick and handy, but it’s creating a new language. There always will be a need for text menus for infrequently used functions, or learn over 350+ icons.

 

The ribbon bar however presents a situation that the user CANNOT avoid icon selections. The ribbon bar is always a mystery of changing icons. Everyday I encounter a ribbon bar I’ve never seen, full of a language that I don’t speak. Iconography. I’m sure you’ve heard enough of “I want it like V9”, however V9 spoke a language common to us all. Text. In V9 a user would “talk” through a process: Create > arc > polar > start angle, end angle, dia, etc. etc. With X, the common language stops when the ribbon bar pops up. I want to “trim 2 entities”, in X now I must learn the ribbon bars “icon language” . Make sense? What I’d like to see is the option to change icons back into words, at least for the ribbon bar.

 

m2c

[Christine B from CNC Software]

Thanks for all of the comments and responses. The survey will be up through Thursday (we're closed on Friday). And we'll definitely provide a summary of the results.

[Ray Culver]

I'm red-green color blind and I work here. The only time I see red is when Ken comes into my office with another "suggestion for improvement".

[Müřlıń®]

Well said Italian Stylin' especially this part:

quote:

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What I’d like to see is the option to change icons back into words, at least for the ribbon bar.

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.....ALL of the pop-ups too

 

Where you can once again, work your mouse in a small area on the screen vs all over the freaking place

[PeterM]

I am generally dissatisfied with x. Although some features are vastly better than in earlier versions, I find x to be less intuitive, more cumbersome in the creation of 2d geometry, and somewhat inconsistent in the interface. for example, you are expected to pre select geometry for many actions,i.e. delete, but for other functions such as xform you have to select after opening the dialog window. Also this reliance on icons set into HUGE windows isn't helpful, I like to see the part that I am working on. The operations manager was once sizable, and floatable. Here's an idea, make all the windows sizable and put a text billet under the icon for dummies like me, at least make it an option. and fix the arcs tangent box to cover all the arcs tangent variables, what a pain, and how do you make a line tangent to two arcs? I'm just going off now so I will quit complaining.

 

Peter

[Guest]

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xform you have to select after opening the dialog window

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Actually, no you do not. I preselect ALL time with it.

 

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The operations manager was once sizable, and floatable.

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This has been asked for repeatedly, I don't know but if I had to guess I'd bet this finds it's way into the software soon.

 

 

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how do you make a line tangent to two arcs?

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How about create line >> endpoint >> and then setting your autocursor to tangent?

 

Might work if you try it.

 

Also if you use the search function around here you might find some answers to some of your problems.

 

Linky

 

 

Have a nice day

[PeterM]

Okay only respond to the questions that you want to, to make your point. try offsetting by pre selecting. How did that work? I would have liked for x to have facilitated my job more than it has. Also you asked for our input here don't bite back when you get a frank response. My point was that x isn't very intuative, so when some previously easy task becomes an icon hunt my point is only reinforced.

Peter

[Guest]

[ 12-19-2005, 06:54 PM: Message edited by: jmparis ]