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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Problems with "Tip of the Day" dialogs
From:       Sébastien_Laoût "\[temporar\]" <les83plus () free ! fr>
Date:       2004-09-15 17:46:27
Message-ID: 1095270386.2756.50.camel () localhost ! localdomain
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I don't know for you, but I find "Tip of the Day" dialogs:
- Useful and giving welcome help
- Not wanted and annoying

-> Useful, because *when we want* to learn advanced uses of an
application, or just learn features it offers, we welcome and read it.
It's *consise* (so, easy and fast to read/know).

-> Annoying, because they never appears when we want.
Let's explain two reasons/rationales:

1. The problem with first-time questions and "Tip of the Day" dialogs is
that the user *haven't yet used* the app and is "agressed" with
questions he can't understand (because he haven't used the app and can
do not even know what it does). He also have to remember all the
described menus and options (plus possible described settings
places...). When user haven't used the application it's difficult to
memorize that (if he want to, or if he believe the dialog in an
obligated passage :) ).
They are designed to teel the user of advanced features, and user that
haven't used an app don't have to be informed of advanced/power features
the first time.

2. Little the same but seen differently: when user start an application
the first time, it's to use it (he see "Terminal" or "Text processing"
description in the KMenu...) because he has something to do with.
Or he want to explore the application...
Or see to what he can do with this "strangly named app he seen in the
KMenu" :)

3. But I think this one isn't so severe: When you show to a friend who
has freshly installed KDE, or configure things in Konsole for him, it's
always annoying to have to pass the tip of the day dialog.

4. On top of that, some apps don't have tips.
As I said, they are cool to learn new features.
But if every app have a "Tip of the Day" dialog it would quickly become
a huge barrier for KDE beginners (get ride of all those dialogs that
want him to learn new things when he haven't assimiled basis yet).
So, one condition to have tips in more applications is to disable them
by default, letting users to call them when they want / are ready.

My proposal is to do not show the dialog by default.

Is it relevant?


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