[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Dir-popup
From:       "Christian A =?iso-8859-1?q?Str=F8mmen?= \[Number1/NumeroUno\]" <number1 () kde ! org
Date:       2002-05-13 18:01:57
[Download RAW message or body]

After desparing for months over the state of several of the popups around in 
KDE I've decided to take some action and see if some of my views are shared 
with the rest of the public... To start with I'd like to use the popup that 
appears on a right-click on directories in konqueror.

The popup is meant for an easy and fast place to do actions on a directory (or 
a file for that matter) without having to move the mouse up to the menubar to 
find the correct action, but lately it seems to have become a sport in 
placing as many things as possible in this popup.  Please take a look at 
http://www.realityx.net/kde/usability/original.png before reading any 
further.

I'm fully aware that many of these entries are made by KDE applications (more 
specifically the stuff from "Make an iso of this dir" to "Browse with 
Pixie"), but I still think there's too much in these menus. More entries 
means the popup starts too look crowded and non-professional, and it also 
makes it slower to navigate. I consider myself a fairly advanced KDE user, 
but I still use several seconds looking for some of the more basic entries 
when going through the popup, and this can't be good.

Entries:

Create Directory: This seem to give you the possibility to create subdirs in 
the selected directory without entering it.. Is this really a needed feature? 
If so, is it soo much used that it belongs in the popup and not in the 
menubar, and even at the top?

Add to Bookmarks: Is this a needed entry? The few times a user adds a dir to 
his bookmark list I would think he would automatically head to the bookmark 
menu instead of right-clicking on the dir.

Application specific entries: Couldn't these be moved to it's own subpopup, so 
as to not overcrowd the main popup? Something like "Application features" or 
something similar.

Cervisia: What does this do exactly? It appears to need a cvs-directory to 
work, shouldn't this be with the rest of the application specific entries?

Copy To & Move To: I know that deep sub-popups aren't good, but I still think 
that having one entry/subpopup for this called "Transfer file" and then 
moving both subpopups to this one would be better than having it take two 
places in the main popup.

Edit File Type: Isn't it better if this was to be placed in the properties 
dialog somewhere? I believe WinXP does this, and it seems to work fine when 
it comes to usability

There will always be someone somewhere that uses some obscure feature more 
often than others, like for instance the "Add to Bookmarks" entry, but one or 
two users that use this all the time doesn't really qualify for having it in 
the popup does it? Each entry added to the popup makes it several times 
harder to navigate, so perhaps we should be more critical as to what is added 
there?

Insight, constructive comments etc etc is more than appreciated :)

-- 
\ Christian A Strømmen /
\ Number1/NumeroUno @ Undernet - Email: number1@kde.org number1@realityx.net /
\ Web: www.realityx.net - Cell: +47 911 43 948 /
   Live your life by your dreams,
     not by the limits of reality...
_______________________________________________
kde-usability mailing list
kde-usability@mail.kde.org
http://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-usability
[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]