Re: Some things I think GNOME should improve

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

On Thu, 2013-04-11 at 12:27 +0200, Les Paul wrote:
> 2013/4/11 Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>:
>
> > We don't make manuals in GNOME. We don't think people should have to
> > read documentation before starting to use something. We absolutely do
> > not write documentation that assumes people will read cover to cover.
> >
> > What we do with our help is try to anticipate user questions and give
> > succinct answers. That kind of help is only used if users know it's
> > there and can access it quickly and easily.
> >
> > I have no idea why a single menu item bothers you so much. But if we
> > were to bury the help as you suggest, then it might as well not even
> > exist. Nobody will find it.
> >
> > --
> > Shaun
>
> Yes, I know that you develop the application so the user know how to
> use it without reading anything. It was just an answer to Adam. And I
> think my comparison to a DVD player with the manual (or FAQ) attached
> to it is still valid.

I think it's not. The manual for my DVD player is bulky and ugly.
Physically affixing it to the device would ruin the aesthetic of
people's home entertainment systems and seriously get in the way.

Here are some better analogies:

I have a programmable thermostat. It has a reference card that
folds up and slides in the back. It doesn't get in the way, but
you always know it's there.

I have a very nice HP printer and scanner. It has a small touch
screen that's intuitive to navigate. It has an always-available
help button that gives you more information on whatever screen
you're on. And in the case of problems like paper jams, it even
shows animated diagrams on how to fix them.

My DVD manual is at the bottom of a drawer somewhere. I'll never
look at it. That's what you want to do the application help.

> What bothers me is not the presence of help and settings option. It is
> the fact that something as few used as this difficults me something as
> used as close the window. If Gnome wouldn't have changed the system to
> close applications (the classic "X") I wouldn't say anything of this.
> And it doesn't bother me so much. It's just a detail that I think
> would improve the user experience. But you are who has to make balance
> and decide if the pros win the cons, or not. I was just making my
> point.

I agree about the lack of a close button. And I believe I've seen
that addressed in some recent designs. I'm only talking about how
users access the help.

> I don't agree people wouldn't find it. Maybe people is used to have
> the help option in the same application, but a "Help" application
> which contains the help for all applications (or Gnome applications),
> and which you can see from the start, I think is pretty intuitive. If
> people did find the Exit menu (or even the help option) on the title
> bar, they will find it in the "Help" application, if it is shown from
> the start. I don't have a way to prove this, but I think it is obvious
> that a person which don't find the help option will look for it on the
> Help application. Which is not Gnome Shell Help. Just Help. You could
> sit a few of common users in front of Gnome Shell (maybe familiars or
> friends that aren't developers) and ask them: "Imagine the help option
> disappears from the title bar. Where would you look for it?" Give them
> two minutes. If most of them figure it out in less than two minutes,
> I'd call it intuitive.

You're already leading them by asking the to go looking for the
help. In the real world, if it's not clear it exists, they don't
go looking for it. And two minutes is much too long.

I'm not just guessing at this. I've been building help systems
professionally for over a decade. I've observed users trying to
use documentation. I've done tests. And I follow the findings
of others in the tech comm industry. I'm not always right, but
I have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about.

--
Shaun