[Rhythmbox-devel] Re: [Usability]rhythmbox interface

[Jeff Waugh <jdub perkypants org>]

<quote who="Jorn Baayen">

> The current Rhythmbox interface isn't very good, and we've been thinking
> about improving it, but it's hard. So some input from you guys would
> rule.

(First, I'd echo most of Jakub's comments, but here's some random crack from
me just in case that's not enough.)

> Current interface, with it's problems:
> ======================================

> 1. The interface changes when clicking a button in the sidebar, just
> like Evolution. My opinion is that it sucks, badly. I tend to remember
> where items are in the menus, and if they get messed up all the time, I
> get confused.

Easy to fix -> don't do that. :-) I would love to see exactly the same
tri-list interface when I'm using sublibraries (these should just be called
playlists, but that word is muddied with your interface suggestions below).

> 2. The toolbar with the playback controls and the area with the currently
> playing information are static; they don't change when switching between
> views, and act on the playing view. This is really, really confusing. Even
> though I wrote it, I still find myself being dizzy when using it. (Just
> hiding these wouldnt work either: because it still is playing. Or stopping
> playback is not an option either, since you may just want to browse your
> playlists or do some organization.)

That's an interesting one, and something that hadn't occured to me... I
don't suffer from dizziness when it's showing something playing from another
library.

I would suggest adding another 'link' to that section, noting the library
that it's currently playing. When clicked, it would take you to the position
in the list of the library that is currently being played - ie. the current
track.

> 3. It's not obvious how to add songs to groups/playlists. (Right now you
> have to dnd songs from the lib to the sidebar button, or use C&P)

Interesting problem, couldn't it be solved by adding a context menu? I think
the track listbox needs one anyway.

  *Play* (default)
  --
  Add to playlist > Rock
  --                Ha ha
  Cut               --
  Copy              New...
  Paste
  --
  Delete
  --
  Properties

> 4. Users cannot specify what song to play after the current one.
> Playlists are not enough here; if you are playing from the library, you
> want to be able to say which song is to play next.

I've assumed, from the UI, that the third listbox defines that, unless
you've turned on shuffle. If not, it should. ;-)

So, solutions:

> What we need:
> =============
> 1. The music library we have now

'Library' special playlist icon.

> 2. A way to specify what song to play after the current one

Reorder the third list.

> 3. Playlists (reorderable subsets of the library) [1]

'Sublibraries' are 'playlists' and should be reorderable just like the
special 'Library'.

> 4. A clean way to do this, without awkward views or stuff like that :)

... not changing the user interface much at all. ;-)

> Things we have now, that will probably be moved out:
> ====================================================
> 1. Audio CD. Got this in because we had the views stuff, but it prolly
> belongs in a separate app. [For ripping we would ideally have nautilus
> support browsing audiocds, and support copying oggs off it]
> 2. Internet radio. Same as above.

Disagree with both.

> 3. The sidebar :)

Disagree, in that I think the above system would work very well. The sidebar
is a nice, pretty, big-stuff-to-click way of handling it. (My only worry
with it is how it would handle a very long list of playlists, but anyway.)

- Jeff

-- 
                                   A: No.                                   
               Q: Should I include quotations after my reply?               
                               - Nick Moffitt                               
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