[Sugar-devel] nitpicks on the sucrose 0.83.6 UI

[Eduardo H. Silva]

Last one (I promisse):

On resume mode, clicking on an already instantiated activity icon from
home, should switch to that opened activity. Right now, it tries to
re-launch instance that has been saved in the journal, and fails
(doesnt pass the blinking activity icon stage).

Eduardo

2009/2/22 Eduardo H. Silva <hoboprimate at gmail.com>:
> Just another nitpick I've remembered. When in resume mode, the option
> to start a fresh instance of an activity is just named "Start". Could
> it perhaps be made more explicit, like "Start new activity"?
>
> Eduardo
>
> 2009/2/22 Eduardo H. Silva <hoboprimate at gmail.com>:
>> 2009/2/22 Eben Eliason <eben at laptop.org>:
>>> On Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 11:42 AM, Eduardo H. Silva
>>> <hoboprimate at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> The Sucrose 0.83.6 Release Notes said that we can comment on it UI on
>>>> the sugar mailing list, so I hope you don't mind me making my wish
>>>> list. Many of these things are perhaps nitpicks, but so be it :)
>>>>
>>>> 1 - I'm unsure about this one, but you tell me: Boxes around all
>>>> desktop objects when hovered:
>>>
>>> Yes, that was the intent.
>>>
>>>> a - For prettiness sake, they could have rounded corners
>>>
>>> Yup, see mockup. ;)
>>> http://laptop.org/en/laptop/interface/index.shtml
>>
>> I keep forgetting that there _are_ future ideal mockups of the
>> interface, which already solve many of the issues I find! :)
>>>
>>>> b - They should always appear even if the resume by default choice
>>>> isn't toggled. In fact, all actionable graphic on sugar should have
>>>> some graphical change when hovered. For example, in the frame, the
>>>> background for icons change from grey to black. I think this could be
>>>> easily made with the activity icons by adding to them a new light-grey
>>>> rounded square which is only visible when hovered. This would mean all
>>>> icons on the "desktop", XO users, Activity icons, network icons.
>>>> c - this also makes the interface give more feedback to the user.
>>>
>>> Yup yup, this was exactly our thoughts when introducing the rounded
>>> rect on hover.  It should be ubiquitous in the zoom levels, and Also
>>> in other places with actionable icons, such as the Journal.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> 2 - a laptop icon to be placed in the bottom of the frame
>>>> a - It contains in its palette the options:
>>>>  - Configure
>>>>  - Logout
>>>>  - Restart
>>>>  - Shutdown
>>>> b - This leaves the current XO in home with only the option "About me"
>>>
>>> Actually, we discussed this possibility, and Christian and I were
>>> averse to it because we want to maintain the idea that the XO itself
>>> is the hybrid online identity of the user and their machine.  This is
>>> precisely why the XO is shown at start up, transitioning from stroke
>>> to colored fill (and why, ideally, the reverse would happen at
>>> shutdown).
>>>
>>>> c - This allows one to access any of the above options from any view,
>>>> via the frame.
>>>
>>> This is possible in the latest builds.  The fact that the XO menu for
>>> yourself wasn't consistent everywhere was a bug.  You can now access
>>> the actions you mention from the XO in any zoom level, as well as the
>>> Frame.
>>>
>>>> 3 - Add a "don't Keep" option in the "name this fresh activity"
>>>> dialog. Perhaps a Keep icon with a cross over it? Or just the erase
>>>> icon to keep symbols consistent throughout the interface.
>>>
>>> I think it goes without saying that this is a desired feature.  I
>>> guess we need to work out the DS details.
>>>
>>>> 4 - Change the "View details" icon to the latest try at it that Eben
>>>> gave. Perhaps I just don't understand why > is preferable.
>>>
>>> I'm with you on the [...] idea.  Christian adamantly opposes.  Perhaps
>>> it's something we can discuss at an upcoming design meeting.
>>>
>>>> 5 - I'm unsure about this one, so I'll just throw it out as food for
>>>> thought. It takes approximately one second to reveal the primary
>>>> palette (which usually only titles the object), and another second to
>>>> reveal the secondary. Perhaps these times could be decreased? Is it
>>>> really discoverable that a secondary palette exists for a icon, if it
>>>> takes 2 seconds of a stationary cursor for it to be revealed?
>>>
>>> It's a fair question.  It's worth noting that we actually *increased*
>>> these times after the early releases, because we found that nearly
>>> everyone would wait for the secondary menu to perform *any* action at
>>> all on an object, including the simple starting of activities.  This
>>> wasn't the intent.  The secondary actions were meant to be just that,
>>> with the default action (the first in the list of the secondary
>>> palette) being invoked with a simple click on the object.
>>>
>>> It seems to me thus far that this was the right decision.  The people
>>> who cared (because they really wanted the secondary features) then
>>> learned that right-click reveals the secondary palette immediately.
>>
>> Perhaps when adding the rounded cornered boxes to actionable icons,
>> that will signal kids and adults that they are actionable with just
>> one click. Also, from the experience I've seen with a kid, he doesn't
>> wait, he just goes ahead and click what he wants to get/have.
>>
>>> What you say about indication is true, though.  I wonder if there are
>>> any thoughts on how we could indicate "there is more here" without
>>> speeding up the reveal.
>>
>> You know those pieces of paper (usually publicity or fliers) through
>> which you can detach a part of them because the division has already
>> been "dotted" (perforated in some manner). The bottom of a primary
>> palette which contains a secondary palette could have such a bottom
>> edge, as if it had been ripped from a larger piece of paper (which
>> would be the entire palette).
>>>
>>> Thanks for all the good thoughts!
>>>
>>> - Eben
>>
>> Welcome, I'll try to be at the meeting next saturday.
>>
>> Eduardo
>>>
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>>>
>>
>