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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: KOffice Dialog Box
From:       Joseph Manojlovich <josephm () mail ! sis ! pitt ! edu>
Date:       2002-06-18 20:36:08
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On Tue, 18 Jun 2002, Aaron J. Seigo wrote:

> > It does seem from the discussion on this list that a lot of users would
> > prefer to have the wizard as an option only. I certainly would. It may just
> > be a fact that most users, when they start a word processor, may want to
> > start a new document, and want to get straight to work without going
> > through a dialog (no matter how many groovy features the dialog has).
> 
> if it is made optional and people are not used to such an introduction they 
> will most likely turn it off w/out even thinking. at that point it is 
> questionable whether the dialog should even exist. if there are actual 
> benefits to the dialog, then it should remain. if there aren't actual 
> benefits, it should be removed.

As I've said before, if the users don't want it, then who are we do
force it upon them? Eh, forget it... :-)

> the dialog provides consistency between opening via icon and opening
> via the file menu

Is this really all that important? As Troels Tolstrup pointed out in a
previous email, no other KDE app makes this distinction, all opening
up with a default document. This presents the interesting view that
it's actually KOffice and this dialog box that are inconsistent, with
the rest of KDE.

Also, I stand by my assertion that the same dialog should not be used
in both places. File->New should at most give you a template selection
dialog, and not give you the option of opening a file. That just makes
no sense.

> it allows an easy way to access templates and set a default template
> it provides a way to provide 
> users wizards for certain templates (the dialog itself isn't a wizard, btw), 

I'll pick on KWord for a bit now. Perhaps a greater problem is the
issue of what KWord really is. I mean, is it a word processor, or a
typesetting program a la Pagemaker? To me this seems the krux of the
issue with this dialog box, and the issue of templates.

I don't see a problem with KWord being both, and in fact consider this
one of it's great strengths (try making a pamphlet in Microsoft Word
some day...). However, dialogs like this try to force one view on the
user.

> it doesn't make someone open a new docu before selecting what they really 
> want, it keeps to the SDI model... i think these are important things.

Clicking on KWord icon means the user might want to make a new document,
or open an existing one. Clicking on File->New is pretty unambiguous at
to what the user is trying to do. Again, the same dialog shouldn't be
used by both. But I can see the point, that File->New is actually
opening up a new KWord process entirely. There should be some way to
tell the difference between how a KOffice app is started, to avoid this
mess.
 
>  o the layout is rather complex, esp with the default being on the bottom not 
> the top
>  o it is another window. you ask for a simple app and up pops two windows!
>  o it is modal (lack of user control; very frustrating)
>  o a quick and simple way to dismiss it isn't apparent to many users (press 
> enter)

But what does hitting enter even do? This isn't obvious to anybody
aside from the koffice developers. Does it select the default template?
Any template? Hitting enter is simple, but the results are unknown to
most people, including me.

> on the koffice list there was talk about integrating the dialog w/the actual 
> window. i think this could very well solve most of what feels awkward about 
> this dialog: you'd get one window, nothing is modal, it could have more room 
> to explain to just hit enter (or whatever other clevel mech) to move on and 
> the layout could be reworked.

Which list was this on? I'd love to see what was said. :-)
 
--
Joe Manojlovich
josephm@sis.pitt.edu
http://www2.sis.pitt.edu/~josephm
"We're not investing in dreams anymore." 
  -- Microsoft General Manager Alan Yates


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