Missing Features

FogBugz is easily the best bug tracking system on the market. Thanks to the Joel Test (and hallway usability) the application is very well designed. And the software designer Joel Splotsky certainly knows how to design usable software, but FogBugz isn’t perfect.

There are a few missing features in the suite and one really obvious usability gaffe. Here is a screen shot of the main list screen of FogBugz (taken from fogcreek.com):

Take a look at the four button controls (the “Filter Tools”) at the right hand side:

(Let’s label each button A, B, C and D in order.)

In no order, here are the functions of each:

• Change view
• Save
• Add/remove columns
• RSS feed

Go ahead and try to match each button label with the buttons in the screen shot.

You probably assigned the buttons this way:

• A to Save
• B to change view
• C to add/remove columns
• D to RSS feed

Not quite, as it’s currently designed. Sure, A and D are pretty easy, thanks to Redmond and Userland. But the usability error is in icons B and C – they are reversed.

The icons with “1, 2, 3″ affords picking (you pick numbers), like picking columns for display. And the two column button feels like a view change control. A very subtle oversight, indeed. But a quick usability test would prove the error.

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