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

List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: The art of not offering customization
From:       "Gordon Tyler" <gordon () doxxx ! net>
Date:       2002-05-29 20:16:23
[Download RAW message or body]


----- Original Message -----
From: "Aaron J. Seigo" <aseigo@olympusproject.org>


> just remember to think like a user: don't think so much about how the code
> behind the options interacts with the system, think about how the options
> relate to each other from a logics / linguistic / story-telling
perspective.
>
> if you can do that _and_ have an understanding of what the options "really
do"
> (which, in KDE, sometimes requires that you are a programmer!), i think
you'd
> be capable of doing a wonderful job...

Hmm... maybe I can get my fiance to help me. She's somewhat technical but
more like a normal user...

On slightly different yet related tack, I had a thought today about the
overall GUI layout of the Control Center: Would be better to use a Windows
Control Panel-like layout of only icons/names and have dialogs popup as they
do when you select them from the K->Preferences menu? I personally think
it's ugly to put what is really a dialog into a main frame as if it were a
document. My experience with other UIs like this (Oracle administration,
WebSphere administration) has been rather painful.

I also quite like the way the MacOSX System Preferences window looks with
categories of icons separated into horizontal groups and the ability to drag
commonly used icons to the toolbar. That is if I'm remembering correctly the
way it looks.

This may be related to muscle memory since I have to open the Look 'n Feel
tree before seeing the icons, scan them, try a few and then I realise that I
actually wanted the Peripherals, Mouse section and have to scroll down the
treeview and open Peripherals before I can see and choose Mouse. If they're
laid out all at once like MacOSX's are, it's far easier to remember where
the icons are AND you can see them all and you don't have to "hunt" to
discover potentially more options that may be what you're looking for.

Ciao,
Gordon


_______________________________________________
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]