From kde-edu Wed Aug 07 19:49:45 2002 From: Michael Hofer Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2002 19:49:45 +0000 To: kde-edu Subject: Re: [kde-edu]: unified kde-edu style? X-MARC-Message: https://marc.info/?l=kde-edu&m=102874986909395 Hello! Am Dienstag, 6. August 2002 12:57 schrieb Sebastian Stein: > Michael Hofer [020806 11:47]: > > On http://edu.kde.org/developer/kde3_2features.phtml a KDEdu style gu= ide > > is mentioned. What is the status of this task? Is someone responsible= for > > it? > [...] > Than we thought about a KControl module for all Edu apps, so that they = can > be set up from a central place. I think this is a good idea. I don't know how far the plans for such a=20 kcontrol-module are, I just want to point everybody interested/working in= /on=20 that to the thread "KDE Control Center" (2002-08-04) on the=20 kde-usability-mailinglist which deals with the reorganization of the=20 Control-Center. (Some people there want to remove application-specific=20 settings from the control center....) > I like to point you to one thread (http://lists.kde.org/): [...] > Subject: [kde-edu-devel] And so it begins (libkdeedu) > Here a common edu lib was discussed. I've read the thread and there were some interesting ideas. It may be a g= ood=20 idea to develop a library providing functions for typical needs in=20 kedu-software. But what are "typical needs" for edu-apps? When I look at the current KDE-EDU-apps, there is a "touch typing tutor",= a=20 "desktop planetarium", an "alphabet tutor", a geometry program,..... Ok, there are a few vocabulary-trainers and math-programs. But is this re= ason=20 enough for a kde-edu-lib? Or wouldn't it be a better way to merge these v= ery=20 similar programs (or at least bring them on a common codebase)? Most (kde-)edu-programs are fairly "simple" applications and do not have = that=20 much in common. What they should have in common is a simple, child-orient= ated=20 and unified user-interface. I know, there are different needs for differe= nt=20 types of programs. But I think it could be a first step to try to find a set of=20 guidelines/recommendations for UI-design and edu-apps in general. These=20 efforts could, in a later step, possibly lead to an edu-ui-lib with=20 templates/classes for window-layouts, menu-structures, buttons and other=20 widgets,..... I'm not an expert in UI-design, nor do I have much experience with=20 edutainment-apps, but I can imagine guidelines for things like: - font-sizes - simplified menu-structures/systems - color-schemes - use of images - sounds - logos/splash-screens - a unified scoring/motivational-system (extended kfeeder?) - "gameplay" (or how to make edu-software fun to use) - .... What are your thoughts about these points? I'm sure you have much more=20 suggestions/ideas..... I want to note that educational/edutainment-software which isn't targeted= at=20 _young_ children has possibly other needs and it could be better to orien= tate=20 it's UI on "normal" KDE-apps, but a few general edu-recommendations may a= pply=20 also to these programs. And after all, it are just suggestions and nobody= =20 _has to_ do it this way. servus, Michael _______________________________________________ kde-edu mailing list kde-edu@mail.kde.org http://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-edu