Older person moving to Affinity Suite?

R C-R · February 4

6 hours ago, KarinC said:

I like light mode. Now that I can change the background on the assets panel it is even better. I have the sliders adjusted to just where I want it.

While you may like it, there are several places in the UI where there are known issues with icons either not showing at all or showing with so little contrast between them & the background that that are effectively invisible.

There also have been numerous user complaints, starting with the very first release of AD for Macs before there were even any Windows versions, about low contrast in various places in the UI making it difficult to tell if something is selected, deselected, grayed out, etc.

KarinC · February 4

1 hour ago, R C-R said:

While you may like it, there are several places in the UI where there are known issues with icons either not showing at all or showing with so little contrast between them & the background that that are effectively invisible.

There also have been numerous user complaints, starting with the very first release of AD for Macs before there were even any Windows versions, about low contrast in various places in the UI making it difficult to tell if something is selected, deselected, grayed out, etc.

Well, it doesn't seem to be affecting my work flow or creativity.

bbrother · February 4

48 minutes ago, KarinC said:

Well, it doesn't seem to be affecting my work flow or creativity.

In fact, only after fixing the UI and UX issues would you realize what a negative impact it had on your workflow.

Tools (e.g. the Alignment drop-down panel) are unintuitive and require too many clicks to get the job done.
Bad alignment of elements in the panels
Poor use of UI space
Incorectly used hover states
Poor labeling

the list is long...

RichardMH · February 5

On 2/3/2024 at 5:56 AM, RandomMike said:

Whew, I downloaded Photo 2. I can hardly read the menus even with a magnifying glass, I see no way to make them bigger. I'm going to see if I have my CD of PhotoPlus X7!!

Thanks

Mike

I have a pair of glasses I only use for the computer. Readers with a fairly high magnification, suggested by my optometrist. And I have a biggish screen, 24". I'm 69.

dominik · February 5

8 hours ago, bbrother said:

In fact, only after fixing the UI and UX issues would you realize what a negative impact it had on your workflow.

Tools (e.g. the Alignment drop-down panel) are unintuitive and require too many clicks to get the job done.

Bad alignment of elements in the panels

Poor use of UI space

Incorectly used hover states

Poor labeling

the list is long...

May I kindly ask you to stay on topic? Thank you.

d.

KarinC · February 5

11 hours ago, bbrother said:

In fact, only after fixing the UI and UX issues would you realize what a negative impact it had on your workflow.

Tools (e.g. the Alignment drop-down panel) are unintuitive and require too many clicks to get the job done.

Bad alignment of elements in the panels

Poor use of UI space

Incorectly used hover states

Poor labeling

the list is long...

It is my policy to not waste my time engaging with bullies, however, for the record, I will state that you are not entitled to judge my abilities, knowledge or degree of experience.

Some people create and produce, others complain and criticize.

nickbatz · February 5

My opinions:

bbrother consistently has a lot of complaints about Affinity's programs. I don't share them - on the contrary, Affinity Photo has been central to my having come up with a new medium, a 2020s evolution of modern art painting - but he (I assume brother = he) is entitled to grumble to his heart's content.

Saying that the interface is problematic (in his opinion) is very much relevant to the original question, and I don't see how his being emphatic is abusive.

***

Having said that, here's my answer to the original question:

1. Your age is irrelevant! The only question is how comfortable you are using computers and learning new programs.

Now, it's true that many people only a few years older than I am (in my 60s) have seemed to find this kind of thing more difficult since the dawn of the digital age. I used to go crazy trying to talk my mom through doing things like clicking on Open ("I'm clicking but it's not doing anything!" she'd say). And she's an extremely bright woman - it's certainly not intelligence.

But still...

2. The Affinity programs are complicated and have a lot of features. But while people used to answering my stupid questions here may disagree , the basics aren't difficult to learn. You don't have to learn every feature right at the beginning to get things done.

3. Download a demo, as others have suggested, and watch some of James Ritson's videos. Here's the link for the Affinity Photo ones:

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/learn/photo/desktop/

4. After that, there are lots of very good tutorials (along with some not as good) on YouTube.

5. While not everyone is as fortunate to live the charmed life I do these days, touch wood (good health and at the top of my game), you'll never catch me saying things like "I'm too old for..."! And if I do start to decline, no way would I ever admit it.

R C-R · February 5

3 minutes ago, nickbatz said:

Saying that the interface is problematic (in his opinion) is very much relevant to the original question, and I don't see how his being emphatic is abusive.

FWIW, I have to agree with that. The OP certainly finds some aspects of the UI problematic, as do a number of other users -- otherwise there would not be so many complaints about size/legibility/contrast/whatever problems that in their opinions make the apps harder to use than is necessary.

I could not say if a majority or minority of users felt the same way but some certainly do.

thomaso · February 5

P.S.: Some years ago there was this poll in the forum. The number of ~~users~~ responders older than 60 was nearly 30%. The poll had an enormous turnout of 18 participants. Meanwhile I am 64.

bbrother · February 6

On 2/5/2024 at 9:22 AM, KarinC said:

It is my policy to not waste my time engaging with bullies, however, for the record, I will state that you are not entitled to judge my abilities, knowledge or degree of experience.

Some people create and produce, others complain and criticize.

This is not a rosary circle. A little distance to you yourself would help.
Criticism helps products improve. Indifference and praise between fanboys bring nothing.

It is not a discovery that vision problems are a disease of civilization, regardless of age, and that the V2 user interface is poor and requires a lot of corrections.
This is evidenced by the number of complaints on the forum.

On 2/5/2024 at 6:56 AM, dominik said:

May I kindly ask you to stay on topic? Thank you.

Pointing out to UI problems is relevant to the original question.

KarinC · February 6

56 minutes ago, bbrother said:

This is not a rosary circle. A little distance to you yourself would help.
Criticism helps products improve. Indifference and praise between fanboys bring nothing.

It is not a discovery that vision problems are a disease of civilization, regardless of age, and that the V2 user interface is poor and requires a lot of corrections.
This is evidenced by the number of complaints on the forum.

This is why it is fruitless to respond to narcissists. If I say I like the software, having a good time with, producing what I think is some amazing illustrations with it, I am labeled as too naïve to understand how terrible the software is. If I object to that insult, then I am labeled as too sensitive.
I shouldn't have broken my own rule. I won't do it again.

Pšenda · February 6

28 minutes ago, KarinC said:

If I say I like the software, having a good time with, producing what I think is some amazing illustrations with it, I am labeled as too naïve to understand how terrible the software is.

That's how it always is here - if someone dares to disagree with the eternal critics of Affinity products (supposedly for the sake of improvement, but even a small child will understand over time that constantly repeating the same thing over and over again does not contribute to anything - it's also in the forum rules), so he is ridiculed ("This is the joke of the day") and labeled as an "amateur". That's why it's best to leave these "professionals" (as they say about themselves, which in itself says a lot about them), and exactly as you write, better not to get involved in fruitless discussions. Unfortunately, this creates the impression - that absolutely all users complain, but I assume that Serif approaches this with a sufficient distance.

bbrother · February 6

5 hours ago, KarinC said:

This is why it is fruitless to respond to narcissists. If I say I like the software, having a good time with, producing what I think is some amazing illustrations with it, I am labeled as too naïve to understand how terrible the software is. If I object to that insult, then I am labeled as too sensitive.

@KarinC Your imagination is running a bit wild.

I wrote that the claim that everything in the UI is readable in light mode is the "Joke of the day" because it is an indisputable fact that it is not.
And also that it is often only after implementing changes in UI/UX that we realize how negatively the previous shortcomings impacted the workflow.
This is not an accusation that someone is naive or inexperienced.

4 hours ago, Pšenda said:

That's how it always is here - if someone dares to disagree with the eternal critics of Affinity products

I joined the forum in July 2023, so what kind of eternal criticism are you talking about.
I like Affinity applications, but I don't turn a blind eye to their shortcomings because I don't want their potential to be wasted by stupid decisions and simple mistakes.

4 hours ago, Pšenda said:

That's why it's best to leave these "professionals" (as they say about themselves, which in itself says a lot about them), and exactly as you write, better not to get involved in fruitless discussions.

@Pšenda I have never written about myself as a professional on the forum and I have never accused others of being amateurs. Funny, but I have a different impression. Namely, that anyone who dares to write words of criticism is accused by fanboys like you of, as you put it, "Tirade without providing specific facts" by soo called self named "Professionalist". Another funny thing is how sensitive fanboys are.

5 hours ago, Pšenda said:

Unfortunately, this creates the impression - that absolutely all users complain, but I assume that Serif approaches this with a sufficient distance.

It is not a matter of impressions but simple reality. Peopole post complaints because it's the only way to push Serif to make better soft.
And I hope, contrary to you, that Serif does not approach it with distance, but with appropriate seriousness and will introduce appropriate improvements, because whoever does not develop, de facto regresses.

Cheers mate

Patrick Connor · February 8

On 2/2/2024 at 4:44 PM, Komatös said:

You can download trial versions of the programs and then decide for yourself whether the programs meet your expectations or not......

FYI (and for anyone else out there evangelising for Serif) these links (which are like the ones you originally used) do work

Purchasable

or better still use these shorter/memorable purchase links

and for trials

or better still use these shorter/memorable trial links

Older person moving to Affinity Suite?

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