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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: KDE 4.2 Toolbars
From:       Maciej Pilichowski <bluedzins () wp ! pl>
Date:       2008-11-20 15:06:44
Message-ID: 200811201606.44830.bluedzins () wp ! pl
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On Thursday 20 November 2008 15:01:16 Mike Arthur wrote:

> What I was advocating was just the "highlighting button" approach
> as I don't think many users want to learn all the shortcuts that
> way (although it would be cool).

Ok, so my remarks.

I think that such feature in practice makes more harm than good. First 
of all -- no matter what user is, s/he either works or learns. 
Note -- work requires rather narrowed focus, when learning not. Any 
distraction while working decreases productivity. Work has an aim to 
finish the job.
  One exception -- when you have no clue how to get the job done, then 
you have to learn first.

  Little personal example: MC has this small tip-of-the-day line, not 
intrusive at all. Yet, useless. I never get any info from it, so 
after some time I turned it off. Because when I have to work -- I 
have to get job done, and when I learn -- I google ;-) (*)

  This is fundamental issue, no matter how cute this help is, it will 
be the obstacle of the user, because first thing user has to do -- 
either learn how to turn it off, or how to mentally ignore it (but 
productivity drops with every move s/he does).

  And minor issues:
* toolbar button blink -- could have impact on people with epilepsy, 
rare, but possible, so it should be default 
* the information about shortcut is already in the menu
* this looks like putting pressure on the user "learn, faster!"

  I opt for leaving user in his/her comfortable, simplistic world. It 
is better if she/he works a bit slower, but with comfort, zero 
pressure, rather than with stress because at the corner is next thing 
to learn (and it is almost obligatory).

  The most important is that user is able to do his/her work, and that 
way s/he likes (?) KDE :-).

Cheers,

(*) I think people tend to go for help to most trusted resource. KDE 
help (it is not KDE fault) is rather hard to find anything, examples 
are limited, KDE what's this are rather non-existant (so this feature 
was killed, unfortunate), books -- long way to find anything, when 
simple google "kmail filter" immediately gets required information 
with tons of examples.

Nowadays, when we have wikipedia, and google, we can forget about any 
help, manuals, guides, etc. Simply because -- who uses this 
dinosaurs? Instead of help it would be better to have wiki page about 
KDE and KDE apps + with each KDE release snapshot of the wiki page 
should go along KDE. So no matter if user has the internet 
connection, or not -- she/he gets exactly the same content, with 
plenty examples, fresh tips, etc.

And now, I click "help" and I get yet-another-program just to learn. 
Wrong way. Hmm, I think I post this concern in the separate thread.
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