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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Panel Arrangement KCM
From:       Aaron Seigo <aseigo () kde ! org>
Date:       2004-02-12 18:42:52
Message-ID: 200402121142.52392.aseigo () kde ! org
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On February 12, 2004 10:18, Jamethiel Knorth wrote:
> Okay, I was very unclear, because you completely misunderstood me. You are
> putting the option in "Advanced Options", not "Rarely Accessed Options". It
> is not advanced, it is rarely accessed.

"Advanced Options" is a 'well known' phrase; "Rarely Accessed Options" isn't 
=) it's ok that it isn't 100% technically correct, it's consistent with other 
panels and denotes "stuff most people don't need".

> This adds a completely unnecessary dialog to an otherwise fairly simple
> module. This means people have to check that dialog, when they could
> otherwise just ignore an option which is right in front of them.

and then we get to the point where:

 o we have too many options to fit in a small window
 o we have too many options for the average user to be able to deal with 
without suffering from information overload.

a dialog with 100 radio buttons in a dialog is not usable. a dialog with 1 
radio button may not provide the needed flexibility. somewhere in between is 
the magic number, and a line needs to be drawn at some point in recognition 
of that.

> Even if they are a little unclear on what the option does, editing it has
> no harmful side-effects and the results are immediately obvious.

no, but it does clutter up the interface and it does add to the "things i 
don't understand about this dialog" list which adds to the "reasons i don't 
feel comfortable using this" feeling which ends up being "this computer is 
too complex for me".

> each module. I just tried that, and I only get 515 by 400 free for it to be
> usable. (I'm not trying to be argumentative, I am genuinely confused.)

ah, sorry.. i was in a hurry yesterday and read "640x480 screen" and had 
flashbacks to the discussions about what the 640x480 reference in the 
guidelines actually meant...

- -- 
Aaron J. Seigo
while (!horse()); cart();
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