Re: [GnomeMeeting-list] I want my users advice



Ok...i think neither of us are going to agree 100% on this...lets just say I have a vertical toolbar fetish and therefore do not see the need to remove the toolbar ... :o) As a creature of habit (i.e. a human) I am used to the way the current gnome meeting works..and associates of mine that are definately not elite computer users...or even power users had no problems using it..as it stands I think even my Grandmother could use gnomemeeting (if I showed her how to use a mouse first).

Have great weekend everyone,

Lauchlin

Christian Rose wrote:

lör 2002-02-02 klockan 01.39 skrev OverrideX:

The grouping of the buttons surely is something that is desirable and
that should be done -- it just shouldn't be done by introducing a new
kind of toolbar. There's no need to; the grouping can be accomplished by
adding a separator to the existing toolbar. You also won't find vertical
toolbars in any other GNOME application (at least I can't remember one),
and in this aspect GnomeMeeting breaks consistency.
There are a lot of potential controls that would make more effective use
of the free space, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are
desirable.

First of all, the buttons that are there are all very useful to most
users, and if usability is the issue, removing them would just make life
a few clicks longer for those that use those buttons.


I don't believe that anyone is using GnomeMeeting primarily because they
want to modify GnomeMeetings settings. The only button I suggested
removal of was the Preferences button, which is not part of the main
functions of GnomeMeeting. Noone is using GnomeMeeting just to be able
to configure GnomeMeeting...



If more buttons
are added to the top horizontal toolbar it will take away from the size
of the address field


How come? I don't see why that would necessarily be true. At least not
noticably.



and you will no longer be able to see the entire
ip/hostname you're entering to call, unless the program is made even
wider, causing even more wasted space to the sides of the video.  With
the set size of the video for gnomemeeting and the length of the current
horizontal toolbar it creates that small space on the side of the video
for the vertical toolbar, and the buttons on it are of use to many
people.


Maybe many, but probably not most. Certainly not when it comes to the
Preferences button, which was the only button I suggested for removal.



If some people are unable to use an application because they
become confused by too many buttons, or because it doesn't look like a
generic gtk application maybe the vertical toolbar should toggle.

All people are confused by too many buttons. That's a basic aspect of
the cognitive process of watching an area, you have to realize and
figure out what's shown. Then maybe you automatically come to the
conclusion that "this thing/button is not of any interest to me, what
else is here to see", but the situation is still that too many buttons
or controls adds visual noise that confuses all of us, whether we
realize it or not. You can try this out by opening a random app without
watching, then watch for half a second, and then try to remember what
interesting buttons were there. Even if the same number of interesting
buttons are present in both an application with many toolbar buttons and
one with only a few, you will have more trouble remembering them in the
application with many buttons, simply because there was more information
to parse in that limited timeframe.

Nevertheless, this thread was more about the need for a vertical toolbar
than unneeded buttons. But even if GnomeMeeting has few buttons, it has
more than should be (see the Preferences button), and more buttons add
clutter. Also, there is no good reason for the toolbar to be vertical,
it could just as easily be a horizontal one. If two horizontal toolbars
are too much to show at once, then the second one can be hidden by
default (I think it should be). But I still like the one toolbar
approach better.


Christian


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