Just curious if anyone has ever calculated how much faster/efficient you are by using xplorer2 vs. Windows Explorer. Any stats or summary of user comments is very welcomed.
I'm proposing to Management to purchase licenses. I'd like to attach some numbers to my claims.
Ex: Using xplorer2 I am able to find the files I need in complex tree structures 25% to 50% faster than using Windows explorer.
Of course, I can throw out my own estimates, but I'm wondering if anyone has formally measured user productivity gains.
Thanks!
Daniel
Has anyone measured their improved productivty from using...
Moderators: fgagnon, nikos, Site Mods
Daniel,
I am unaware of any formal attempt to measure productivity gains with x2 vs Explorer. Mostly what we see on the board are "How can I ..." questions, and and "I didn't know you could do that" comments.
My personal suspicion is that the benefits of x2 usability are a combination of many little things, including:
1. more efficient file browsing from having the dual pane layout
2. ditto from having the integrated previewer
3. easier, more productive file searches (esp. on XP)
4. the immeasurable benefit of less frustration,
5. faster access to similar file types when using scrap containers to keep track of where things are.
6. mass renaming of files capability,
7. a few keystrokes here & there many times a day
etc, etc.
Do I save an hour a day? Not likely.
Do I save an hour a week? Perhaps.
Do I save an hour a month? Most certainly!
Even at the current U.S. minimum wage rate of $5.15/hr without added costs, an hour saved per month is $60/year. and for "professionals", the savings is clearly at least 10 times that.
That's my 2 cents worth ... what will your analysis look like?
I am unaware of any formal attempt to measure productivity gains with x2 vs Explorer. Mostly what we see on the board are "How can I ..." questions, and and "I didn't know you could do that" comments.
My personal suspicion is that the benefits of x2 usability are a combination of many little things, including:
1. more efficient file browsing from having the dual pane layout
2. ditto from having the integrated previewer
3. easier, more productive file searches (esp. on XP)
4. the immeasurable benefit of less frustration,
5. faster access to similar file types when using scrap containers to keep track of where things are.
6. mass renaming of files capability,
7. a few keystrokes here & there many times a day
etc, etc.
Do I save an hour a day? Not likely.
Do I save an hour a week? Perhaps.
Do I save an hour a month? Most certainly!
Even at the current U.S. minimum wage rate of $5.15/hr without added costs, an hour saved per month is $60/year. and for "professionals", the savings is clearly at least 10 times that.
That's my 2 cents worth ... what will your analysis look like?
Thank you for laying it out that way. Very helpful.
I will use dollar figures in my proposal!
Do I save an hr. a day? Maybe not (although if I sit down and calculate things out, I might find that I do)
An hr. a week? Most definitely.
On navigation alone, I save seconds on almost every action. I hotkey into my bookmarks like it was nobody's business, it's so fast.
So, my presentation will consist of the following:
1. Speed benefits: doing everything you do in Explorer, but faster
2. Functionality benefits: doing necessary things that are NOT possible in Explorer
3. Psychological benefits: enjoying the work vs. just doing the work (not sure whether management will care about this, even though we all know that happy workers = productive workers)
4. How does it all add up?
- Calculation of time savings per day/month/year.
- Translation of time savings into $$.
If anyone has any other perspectives to help my proposal, I'm all ears.
--Daniel
I will use dollar figures in my proposal!
Do I save an hr. a day? Maybe not (although if I sit down and calculate things out, I might find that I do)
An hr. a week? Most definitely.
On navigation alone, I save seconds on almost every action. I hotkey into my bookmarks like it was nobody's business, it's so fast.
So, my presentation will consist of the following:
1. Speed benefits: doing everything you do in Explorer, but faster
2. Functionality benefits: doing necessary things that are NOT possible in Explorer
3. Psychological benefits: enjoying the work vs. just doing the work (not sure whether management will care about this, even though we all know that happy workers = productive workers)
4. How does it all add up?
- Calculation of time savings per day/month/year.
- Translation of time savings into $$.
If anyone has any other perspectives to help my proposal, I'm all ears.
--Daniel
Daniel,
That was a test.
... I made an (intentional) gaping omission.
You should have caught it
Very likely, your management will.
Every analysis of this type should try to include all the costs.
... In addition to the direct cost of licensure, it includes the cost of learning the new tool and the frustrations of misusing advanced functions (at first) and the lost productivity during this period.
Yes, for the simpler things, everything feels quite natural & there can be some immediate productivity gains; however, as the more clever &/or adventuresome folk start discovering the advanced features; there may be hours a day, every day for a while, spent learning this new toy ... er ... I mean tool.
And, depending upon how large your organization is, and how it provides tech support to the users, there can be issues with using any new tool that the support staff does not endorse.
(That's what shot it down in the company I work for )
If you openly address all the issues, including the cost of training any support staff, you will stand a better chance of success.
Good luck!
-Fred-
That was a test.
... I made an (intentional) gaping omission. You should have caught it
Very likely, your management will.
Every analysis of this type should try to include all the costs.
... In addition to the direct cost of licensure, it includes the cost of learning the new tool and the frustrations of misusing advanced functions (at first) and the lost productivity during this period.
Yes, for the simpler things, everything feels quite natural & there can be some immediate productivity gains; however, as the more clever &/or adventuresome folk start discovering the advanced features; there may be hours a day, every day for a while, spent learning this new toy ... er ... I mean tool.
And, depending upon how large your organization is, and how it provides tech support to the users, there can be issues with using any new tool that the support staff does not endorse.
(That's what shot it down in the company I work for
) If you openly address all the issues, including the cost of training any support staff, you will stand a better chance of success.
Good luck!
-Fred-
I second Devic's comments.
My proposal is not ready yet, but my 21 days free trial ran out.
Trying to work w/out xplorer2 was simply torture. I lasted only 3 hrs, and went and purchased Pro on my own credit card.
Still have to get permission to use it though, so I'll continue compiling my presentation over the next weeks.
And thanks to fgagnon for the extra tips!
Daniel
My proposal is not ready yet, but my 21 days free trial ran out.
Trying to work w/out xplorer2 was simply torture. I lasted only 3 hrs, and went and purchased Pro on my own credit card.
Still have to get permission to use it though, so I'll continue compiling my presentation over the next weeks.
And thanks to fgagnon for the extra tips!
Daniel
I save a couple of hours and probably many expensive errors by using x2 (or 2x for that matter) whenever I need to sync or compare folders. That is how I first came across 2x a couple years ago. The other big time saver for me is using F3/Esc to browse through text or source files (before finding 2x, I used list.com for DOS - anyone remember that oldie?)
Yes! I cut my teeth on efficient file browsing using List.com (btw, I now use the Windows big brother V found at <http://www.fileviewer.com/> .dft1 wrote:before finding 2x, I used list.com for DOS - anyone remember that oldie?
That led me to use alternate file browsers like Norton Commander which in turn led to 2x and now xplorer. I think I still have a copy around somewhere. although I never use it now, I used to use it all day long.