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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: KMail Keyboard Navigation Bar
From:       Segedunum <segedunum () actuaria ! co ! uk>
Date:       2005-03-27 17:15:22
Message-ID: 200503271815.31927.segedunum () actuaria ! co ! uk
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On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 21:02:31, S?bastien Lao?t wrote:
> << Add a small Thunderbird-like bar between the messages list and the
> text area.
> This bar will remind to the user what keys to use. >>
>
> Because a picture is always more expressing than a long discourse:
>
> http://slaout.linux62.org/kde-wishs/kmailSuggestion.png

Had a bit of a hard think about this, and asked myself fundamentally why users 
want to use their vertical arrow keys. The answer is because the vertical 
e-mail list itself is a visual cue to the user. They have no clue whatsoever 
about using the horizontal arrow keys and concepts of next/previous messages 
even when you tell them because there is nothing on the screen that visually 
reflects that. If there were, the situation might be different......

Being able to solve this whilst keeping KMail, largely, focusless is essential 
because a user reaching for their mouse every time they change messages *is* 
a perennial problem with Outlook and other mailers. It's a pain. So, if the 
keybindings were changed to use vertical arrow keys we'd be getting the users 
using them again, but we'd also be back to users having to reach for their 
mouse every time they wanted to scroll through a message, and again, to get 
back to their e-mail list. The other option is to fundamentally change all 
the keybindings which may ultimately prove pointless. We'd be taking one step 
forwards in one sense, and then another back. Whatever happens, nothing will 
be absolutely ideal.

I like your proposal because it gives users, and us, that visual cue that I 
think we've all been looking for. We just haven't been thinking about this at 
a high enough level.

Do you have any rough patches for this? If you have I'll be willing to test 
them out, but if not I'll be willing to flesh this out with some more exact 
functionality. The initial stuff and concept looks fine though. In terms of 
doing some coding myself (eventually....) I'll probably be waiting for the 
move to Subversion. Can't wait for that myself.

Cheers,

David

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