Re: CSS for Help Docs]

[Alexander Kirillov <kirillov math sunysb edu>]

First of all: here is a somewhat newer version of HTML output, using
Nick Curran's CSS and Eric's and mine XSL stylesheets (latter slightly
modified to work  along nicely with CSS). Nick and I spent an hour on
IRC yesterday polishing this:

http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~kirillov/templates/html-with-css/

I haven't committed any of   XSL changes to CVS yet - waiting for
outcome of this discussion.  

Now my comments. 
1. I agree that presentations should be clean. However, leaving
background aside, all other CSS elements (namely, indents, fonts, and
horiz. rules for titles, use of color for block elements such as <note>,
<tip>,  <programlisting>), IMHO, improve readability. We might need to
choose different colors, but I do find it easier to read when
<programlisting> is set using different color. Again, usability and
accessibility  experts should have their say. 

2. GNOME logo (or, more generally, app. logo) also should be present -
for reasons of "instant recognition". 

Thus, the only purely decorative element is the background. Here it is
less clear whether we want it or not. I personally like it, but I can
live without it, too. SO I would bow to the opinion of others. Someone
needs to make a decision, though - Dan? jfleck? Calum?


BTW: it is, of course, easy to write several CSS stylesheets with
different sizes/contrasts/whatever for people with various handicaps.
But AFAIK, currently there is no mechanism in Yelp allowing user to
select a stylesheet.


Sasha


On Tue, 2002-02-05 at 09:58, Pat Costello wrote:
> All, 
> 
> My views about the proposal to add color and background to the GNOME Online 
> Reference Manuals are as follows: 
> 
> Branding and Identity Issues: 
> =============================
> 
> - Unless the color and background are consciously related to the GNOME desktop 
> as whole, then the use of such features in Help is counter-productive. Our aim 
> should be to build universal consciousness and instant recognition of the GNOME 
> desktop and applications. We shouldn't add color and background if there is no 
> plus for generic GNOME identity. 
> 
> - The color and background that we choose might be reminiscent of other 
> desktops, applications, or products. This would be self-defeating. 
> 
> Usuability Issues:
> ==================
> 
> - Unless the color or background conveys a piece of useful information to the 
> user, then it is mere decoration. Decoration is purely subjective. What one 
> person, or group of people like, another person or group of people might hate. 
> An example of color providing an informational design role would be if the 
> navigational text were designated flashing red. I'm not advocating that, just 
> saying that the color would serve an integrated design function. Also, an 
> example of the background serving a function would be if the background in all 
> Help documents were GNOME-grey and the text bright yellow to aid contrast. 
> Again, I'm not advocating that approach, merely saying that it's the sort of 
> thing that color and background are used for. Decoration is a distraction. Users 
> accustomed to modern UI design will be unconsciously looking for a meaning to 
> the decoration. They might try clicking on the colored background area to see 
> what will happen. 
> 
> - People usually access the Help when all else has failed. They don't access 
> Help to be entertained. They access Help to find out information that they 
> couldn't fathom from the UI. What is the purpose behind the color and background 
> feature? To make Help more appealing? There's no point in doing that, the user 
> just needs to navigate as quickly as possible to the bit that he or she needs. 
> The user is not in the mood for entertainment by the time they access Help, so 
> an attempt at making the experience more pleasnt could be a source of 
> irritation. 
> 
> Accessibility Issues: 
> =====================
> 
> - Calum was edging towards the use of backgrounds as an accessiblity tool, and 
> indeed that would be a good thing. A user-variable background color and 
> foreground text feature could provide a useful feature.
> 
> Localization Issues: 
> ====================
> 
> - Use of color and background patterns might set up localization difficulties. 
> Different colors have radically different connotations in different geographies, 
> likewise different design patterns. 
> 
> I vote for Help to be as plain and uncluttered as possible with just a discreet 
> GNOME presence. If color and background can be successfully utilized to improve 
> user access to information, then yes, we could use these features. At the 
> moment, however, the discussion seems to be focussed on improving the visual 
> appeal only, which as I have mentioned, is purely subjective. I would suggest 
> avoiding a decoration-only color and background feature.  
> 
> Pat
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > Delivered-To: gnome-doc-list gnome org
> > X-Accept-Language: en
> > MIME-Version: 1.0
> > To: usability gnome org
> > Cc: gnome-doc-list gnome org, gnome-accessibility-list gnome org
> > Subject: [Fwd: CSS for Help Docs]
> > X-BeenThere: gnome-doc-list gnome org
> > X-Loop: gnome-doc-list gnome org
> > X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.6
> > List-Help: <mailto:gnome-doc-list-request gnome org?subject=help>
> > List-Post: <mailto:gnome-doc-list gnome org>
> > List-Subscribe: <http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-doc-list>, 
> <mailto:gnome-doc-list-request gnome org?subject=subscribe>
> > List-Id: GNOME documentation issues <gnome-doc-list.gnome.org>
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> <mailto:gnome-doc-list-request gnome org?subject=unsubscribe>
> > List-Archive: <http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gnome-doc-list/>
> > 
> > 
> > There's a movement on the GNOME docs list currently to pretty up the
> > stylesheets used for presenting online help in GNOME 2.0-- the current
> > proposal is here:
> > 
> > http://members.austarmetro.com.au/~quasar/eg2 
> > 
> > They'd like some input from a usability perpsective, and I've included
> > the accessibility guys in the distribution list too, so fire away...
> > 
> > Cheeri,
> > Calum.
> > 
> > -- 
> > CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer       Sun Microsystems Ireland
> > mailto:calum benson ireland sun com    Desktop Engineering Group
> > http://www.sun.ie                      +353 1 819 9771
> > 
> > Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems
> 
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