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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: KOffice Dialog Box
From:       Ian h <arcaneone () yahoo ! com>
Date:       2002-06-20 17:10:41
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--- "Aaron J. Seigo" <aseigo@olympusproject.org>
wrote:
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> 
> On June 18, 2002 02:29 am, David Hugh-Jones wrote:
> > On Tuesday 18 June 2002 4:17 am, Joseph
> Manojlovich wrote:
> > > On Sun, 16 Jun 2002, Christian A Strømmen
> [Number1/NumeroUno] wrote:
> > > > Anybody here seen the way cdbakeoven does
> this? It gives you an option
> > > > to disable the wizard that pops up when
> starting the app. Couldn't this
> > > > be a good way of doing this?
> > >
> > > You do realize that you're asking the
> impossible, right? :-)
> >
> > 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.
> 
> but, as i said on IRC the other day, getting
> everyone to just click a "hide 
> this" checkbox is simply hiding the ugly child under
> the stairs.
> 
> so, what are the benefits of this ugly child? the
> dialog provides consistency 
> between opening via icon and opening via the file
> menu; 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), 
> 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.
> 
> so, is there a way to make this intro more
> palletable (sp) so people won't 
> immediately want to hide it?
> 
> my feeling, without doing a formal study, is that
> people don't like it 
> because:
> 
>  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)
> 
> 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.
> 
> yes, this is not the easy solution.
> 
> - -- 
> Aaron J. Seigo

Not to add to the Kword dialog fire but here goes.

Even as someone from the U.S., it drives me crazy to
be constantly asked if I can be helped. This applies
as much to stores as opening dialogs. In the same
vein, I appreciate being ask once so I can configure
my default settings (initial country-based setting)
and preferred template. A checkbox should always
appear at the bottom of the dialog window for those
who want to turn it off. There should be an on/off
"check" on a menu similar to the toolbar menu to allow
it to be easily turned back on.

A drop-down menu(s) would allow the user change
document settings such as paper type/size, number of
columns. These menus should also allow the current
document's template to be changed, modified or a new
one created for later use.

-Ian Hollander


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