[Sugar-devel] Initial implementation of toolbars design

[Eben Eliason]

On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 5:26 PM, Simon Schampijer<simon at schampijer.de> wrote:
> On 07/18/2009 04:17 AM, Gary C Martin wrote:
>>
>> Hi Caroline,
>>
>> On 17 Jul 2009, at 22:14, Caroline Meeks wrote:
>>
>>> We can put it in front of actual kids once you get a sample working.
>>> We could even try playing the video for our existing classes. I don't
>>> know if they'll be able to give you feedback from just seeing the
>>> video. Might be interesting to find out.
>>
>> Yes that's an interesting one... I have more understanding of usability
>> studies with literate adults, where you can have a controlled
>> environment. With the idea that you set goals/tasks to be completed with
>> the interface and ask the user to vocalise what they think they are
>> doing ("I'm clicking this because I think it's the search button...").
>> You only interact with them once they are clearly stuck, to help them
>> get back on track. Asking for any-ones opinion is usually frowned upon
>> in usability studies, as opinion is almost always different from actual
>> behaviour – but some opinions are better than nothing, which is why I
>> keep asking :-)
>>
>> Perhaps I should work with Walter and Aleksey's initial toolbar code and
>> make an identical test clone of TA but with the new toolbar design (I
>> can use Aleksey's Write mock-up code as an example)? Then you could let
>> the class (or a random selection of the class) use it for some tasks and
>> watch how well (or not) they manage with the new interface?
>>
>> Simon: have you used TA yet in your lessons?
>
> Yes, the problem is, that I won't get into class before September again - we
> have summer holidays :/
>
> About the design - as already noted, the current implementation does not
> match gary's mockups. I think the mockups are more consistent in using icons
> in the primary toolbar. Having the text entry field (activity name) present,
> could help the users that know Sugar already. They would not feel that much
> lost.

I think that the title, sharing, keep, and other buttons (perhaps with
the exception of stop, since I know many want this on the primary
toolbar...) should live inside a secondary "activity toolbar", in much
the same way we have an activity tab now. The icon for the activity
toolbar would be the activity icon itself, colored, and always placed
at the far left of the primary toolbar.

The primary reasons for this are 1) consistency across activities and
2) saving space in the primary toolbar for the activity itself.

> Can we get mockups for Browse? I would do the changes then there.

We have them! Browse was the first activity I worked with when working
up the new toolbar designs. The activity icon I spoke of above is
notable absent from my early mockups, but that shouldn't have much of
an effect on things. Here they are:

http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Design_Team/Designs/Toolbars

> When doing testing we should maybe do tests for people that have used Sugar
> before already, and probands with no knowledge of Sugar at all.
>
> Regards,
>   Simon
>
> Btw: I was lost a bit with that the canvas is only shifted down when the
> toolbar is locked. But I guess it makes sense, in order to have not shifting
> the canvas down when you search for an option and pulling down the different
> toolbars. Not sure, yet.

Yes, this is by design. The theory here is that it's possible to use
them like palettes, for occasional actions, without locking into place
and changing the canvas. I suppose the effect could be a little
strange when they become locked, but I'd suspect it would be even
stranger to have the canvas constantly shifting back and forth while
hovering over toolbar buttons.

Eben