Re: [Gimp-gui] [GIMP Gui] User Interface Consistency

[Jehan <jehan girinstud io>]

Hello Vikash,

First of all, I would suggest to register if you expect answers when 
posting on this list. Otherwise if people answer just to the list (most 
do this), you will never see the answer and there is no point in asking 
things.
Also you don't get delays. I had to manually approve your email, which 
took nearly a week (people only got your email today). Not the most 
efficient way to communicate!

Now for some answers below:

On 2019-04-18 20:51, VIKASH SINGH via gimp-gui-list wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I am UI/UX Designer and I am interested to discuss some experience...
>
> This discussion is not only for GIMP but for Inkscape and Scribus too.
> If we visit GIMP website their is quote GIMP is best used in workflows
> involving other free software such as Scribus, Inkscape and
> SwatchBooker. And Yes It is.
>
> Most Forums I visit, I have found biggest complain from users is not
> having good User Interface for these Applications. If we think for one
> second for only one App GIMP then the User Interface is Ok. But when
> it is used in workflows involving other free software then it is bad
> experience.

We obviously agree that communication between software could be better, 
if not maybe (let's dream!) seamless some day! There are regular work on 
this direction. For instance recently we got interesting back and forth 
interaction with RAW developers (darktable, RawTherapee, etc.) and GIMP. 
It's not seamless but it's in the right direction.

> A Graphic Designer in Industry have to used all three raster, vector
> and publishing applications. And Professional designers don't want to
> learn applications they want to work done in much less time. Today I
> am finding cases where designer don't even want to learn Adobe
> Illustrator they preferring to use modern design apps Sketch and Adobe
> Xd that have few functionalities but better experience.
>
> __________________
> What is issue here ?
> __________________
>
> Not having consistency with the other two software's.
>
> 1. Different Layouts & themes
> 2. Different Icon Sets
> 3. Different Task Flow
> 4. Different Tools Manipulators Flow(can create understanding problem)
> 5. One have that feature another not and etc.
> 6. (Everything that create inconsistency in these applications)
> ___________________

Ok I completely agreed with your initial statement until… you wrote the 
list of issues.
Workflows involving several free software would deserve a lot more work. 
But stuff like how icons look, themes, or GUI layout… that's not the 
problem IMO.

I mean, yeah we could have the same icons. Why not. If some designer 
wants to participate to all 3 projects and create a new quality icon set 
which would be common, I would not disagree. But would it make the 
workflow suddenly a lot better? I am doubting.

For me, improved workflow would be stuff like:

* I am in Scribus and add some photographs in my document; Scribus 
proposes some filters and editing options but I want more. I click 
"Edit" and it opens my favorite image editing program (for instance 
GIMP), I edit my photo, then it gets automatically updated within 
Scribus. Even better, it would not only return the result, but also the 
XCF (or an openraster) which the calling program could embed for further 
editing.

* I am in GIMP, and I want to add some vector paths, but vector 
capabilities of GIMP are very basic, so I click "Edit" and it opens my 
favorite vector software (e.g. Inkscape), etc. You know the rest!

And so on.
I actually have a project in my backlog with implementation ideas for a 
communication channel between creative programs. I have had it for 
years, but it needs proper time commitment from myself.

But seriously, layouts, icons, I don't see how this could be any 
priority. As for having the same feature… well if that were the case, 
why would we need the other program?

> Even I Know its hard to solve. I already chatted with Inkscape
> developers regarding this few months back that UI is so much locked.
> But even they also wanted to have some consistency.
>
> I really want to see GIMP, Inkscape & Scribus team come together to
> work on similar ideas concepts, designs and task flow to maintain
> consistency.

We have no problems to work together. When you follow a bit FLOSS 
development, you will actually notice that various such software get 
together with an idea at some point. Then devs continue on their way 
once the common idea is done.

We are not like a company doing several software or anything. We are 
many people doing stuff we want to do.
I mean, even within a single software, it is still several people doing 
various stuff. And these people come and go. It doesn't mean it's 
impossible, it means that if you want to help, feel free to contribute, 
but **you** would be expected to stay and push your ideas (for years if 
you want to *maintain* consistency over the years). Contributing to 
FLOSS with a "I come and drop an idea, then byebye" rarely go very far.

> To have one website similar like right click select by Blender
> Community for GIMP, Inkscape & Scribus to collect ideas having one
> website users will share similar ideas for all these application.

What is "idea" here? Once again, if you mean feature, I still don't 
understand this point. Why should we have all the same features? Then is 
the goal in the end that all programs are the same? I don't get it.

Jehan

> Thanks
> Vikash
>
>
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