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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: General KDE Usability
From:       Tom Chance <lists () tomchance ! org ! uk>
Date:       2004-07-13 12:50:04
Message-ID: 200407131351.58390.lists () tomchance ! org ! uk
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On Tuesday 13 Jul 2004 12:28, joaobr wrote:
> I agree that the standard konqueror bar could be as simple as
> Mozilla's and that the user could add bars instead of removing them
> could be a good idea, but where is the point? Better removing or
> adding? Kword comes up with hundreds of icons, what is with them?
>
> In fact people LIKE icons. Especially the newbies or standard users.
> Advanced users tend to abstract their surfaces to have more
> workspace and only buttons they really need, so think about in
> another way. It is very very normal to find MS Word with ALL
> available toolbars on the clerks desktop, only three lines to type
> text ... so when we migrate to KDE we often indeed very often we
> need to hear: And this Kword do not has this nice options like MS
> Word?

No! No no no no! Sorry, but in my experience, both as an IT trainer and a 
patient son, sibling and boyfriend to KDE users, you are dead wrong.

Load up the default Konqueror with all of its icons and the first reaction you 
get is "what the hell do I click on?". Back when I taught how to use the web, 
we had to take pains to keep Internet Explorer clean of all the addons people 
install whilst learning, because people got confused.

When it comes to presenting information on screen, you should (IMO) take care 
only to put options in the UI that the user will definitely, regularly want 
to use. Make it easy to add more, and those who want more can experiment and 
add. But the vast majority should be able to happily use the application 
without adding more.

What you *shouldn't* do is add options that aren't *necessary* and that will 
confuse users. Konqueror is appauling for this, both in its toolbar and its 
menu. My parents daren't touch the menus, and they've had a much cleaner 
toolbar configured for them by me.

Your anecdote about MS Word for clerks just shows that they have been able to 
add those to create their suited environment. But show that set-up to a first 
time Word user and they would have a heart attack!

Regards,
Tom
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