Re: [Usability] Evolution 2.0

[Ettore Perazzoli <ettore ximian com>]

> * don't be afraid to innovate! (at least on the conceptual level :) I 
> was quite disappointed to notice the similarities between the proposed 
> mockups and Entourage (or whatever is it's name, links on Footnotes). 
> Why always follow? Let's try something new!

UIs should not be judged based on whether they are too similar to a
previous UI or not.  ;-)

We just think this design makes a lot of sense, and in fact most of the
users on the list welcomed it as a good change.

> As a result, you have too many gadgets and things in a single window, 
> and the UI is something you have to *learn* before you can actually 
> start using the program.
(...)
> * getting rid of the shortcut list in exchange for a cluster of buttons 
> doesn't look good to me, because:

I am confused.  First you suggest getting rid of some of the stuff in
the window and say that the UI is too different from the standard; then
you propose adding back another cluster of buttons with semantics that
are completely different from those of any other application in the
GNOME world (i.e. the shortcut bar)?

The design we are going after is quite bare bones.  It just boils down
to:

      * Menu bar
      * Tool bar
      * Navigation area
      * View

Which seems pretty standard to me.

It is not really as crowded as you make it sound; the additional buttons
to switch components are just part of the navigation area (as they
should be) and take barely any space.  (The icons in the mockups are a
bit large, so we might shrink those down...  But besides that, they only
take a handful of pixels in the corner of the window).

[shortcuts]
> 	- you lose functionality (custom shortcuts to preferred folders);
> 
> 	- it's a step backward on the UI level (and quite unelegant);

It's definitely not a step backward at a UI level -- on the contrary, it
simplifies the conceptual model and gets rid of a widget with a
completely custom behavior.

> * getting rid of the summary is also a pity, as it's not only a nice 
> gadget for power users, but also a way to see at a glance how many new 
> mails they've got, the tasks for the day, etc.

The summary in the current form needs some rethinking, most people don't
even use it.  Also it adds complexity to the application: it has it's
own node, it's own configuration, etc.

We are also trying to reduce the amount of code that we have to maintain
(because the burden is just too large for the number of people who are
working on it at the moment) so the summary is a good first candidate
for sacking.

If you feel the summary as an integrate piece is so important, then
maybe you are not as against a unified UI as you want to sound.  :-)

> 2. DO build a new, ergonomic UI for each application;

It would be interesting to see what you think this ergonomic UI would be
like.  Saying "build an ergonomic UI" is easy.  :-)

-- Ettore