From kde-core-devel  Wed May 09 23:04:59 2001
From: Torsten Rahn <torsten () kde ! org>
Date: Wed, 09 May 2001 23:04:59 +0000
To: kde-core-devel
Subject: Re: Why user-levels don't work (Was: Beginner/Default/Advanced GUI)
X-MARC-Message: https://marc.info/?l=kde-core-devel&m=98947977626274

On Wednesday 09 May 2001 22:30, Waldo Bastian wrote:
> The idea of user-levels is very populair and scores points in reviews but I
> don't think it actually works.

Everyone who might doubt it should try a software developed ten years ago:
It was known as "Geoworks" and is now known as "NewDeal-Office".
This desktop (Which was superior in many ways to Windows 95 at that time)
had user-levels implemented for the whole desktop (Something Gnome
intends to do as well).

While trying this desktop you might experience that no user-level maps 
exactly with  the needs of features you have. Therefore the user finds
himself 

- either constantly switching the userlevel, because he is constantly 
searching if the current user-level provides the feature he needs.
If it doesn't he has to switch the user-level upwards until he finds
"his" feature to get downwards again.

- or -- even worse: the user forgets about the userlevels and 
thinks that the application doesn't provide the feature he wants to use.

Basically User-Levels are a concept which is several years old and
can be considered as outdated. Current versions of Windows 
implement a much more intelligent kind of userlevel which 
customizes itself to the user's needs. While this kind of 
UserLevel-implementation has got a few drawbacks it's much
better than static user-levels ...

The tips Waldo mentioned are a better way to create a GUI that is easy to 
navigate:

> What does work?
>
> A simple GUI that can be expanded by the user when the need arises.
> "Options
>
> >>" and "Details >>" buttons can be used for that. "Advanced" tabs in
> >> control

And don't add too many items to widgets and menus. A human being can 
only overview  around 5-items at once. If you need more items you need
to group them. The number of such groups shouldn't exceed 3-4 at maximum 
though.
Everything else is perceived as "diffcult" and might keep the user from 
looking at the dialog further ...

If you still need more items on a dialog you should add another tab with only 
the  most important things on the first tab and the other features 
placed on the other tabs (with decreasing importance from left to right ...).

> modules can be used for that. Toolbars that can be easily edited (e.g. with
> drag and drop) so that the user can add the functions that he/she uses most
> often.

Toolbars could additionally be considered as a kind of "Newbie-userlevel".
Place only the most common functionality there by default.
"Advanced" toolbars should be disabled by default. That way the user 
can explore the interface and switch on the Advanced Toolbars on later.


> Minicli and the cookie dialog are successfull examples of dialogs that can
> be adjusted to the needs of the user. Those needs have nothing to do with
> some fictious "user-level".

Greetings,
Tackat

> Cheers,
> Waldo