Re: [Usability] Context for Evo 2 Mockups.

[Roberto Rosselli Del Turco <rosselli ling unipi it>]

Ettore Perazzoli wrote:
> > 	- the search tools are available as a separate pop up window, search 
> > icon moved to the main toolbar (wrong dimensions, sorry);
>
>
> This way you are actually reducing the usability of the app, not
> increasing it.
>
> The search bar is one of the UI's most useful elements; if you move it
> to a separate pop-up you make any search a pain in the ass, which
> defeats one of Evoluiton's main design goals (i.e. searches should be
> easily accessible and fast).

Apart from the obvious fact that this would be a trade-off (less clutter
and more space in the window in exchange for the quick search facility),
and also that you could add this functionality to the toolbar if you 
really want to preserve it, aren't you exaggerating it a bit? A search 
window which is just a Ctrl-F away doesn't look like a pain in the *ss 
to me.

[...]

> > * if the apps have to live in the same window, instead of the navigation 
> >  buttons you could use tabs as shown in evo2_mail_RRDT-2.png (the 
> > highlighted one is the calendar instead of the mail one, sorry): this is 
> > perhaps suboptimal as the icons are smaller, tooltips could help; and 
> > they're not aligned with the main view on the right (the mockup of the 
> > guy on Slashdot was more consistent).
>
>
> Why is this better than Anna's mockup?

Because I can look at Evolution next to Abiword or Gnumeric without
thinking that my cursor accidentally slipped in the KDE menu? ;)

/me ducks (too lazy to run)

But seriously, I think I've already explained that in my previous mails,
no need to rehash the "GNOME feeling" stuff ad infinitum. Anna's mockups 
where a step in the right direction, sure thing, but IMHO you should 
consider more radical solutions. Imagine, furthermore, that this is just 
the most complicated case, i.e. that the windows for Calendar, Tasks, 
Contacts could be even smaller (they wouldn't be forced to the "one size 
fit all" window any more) and simpler (less items in the toolbar, only 
one frame for the main view).

BTW, what mockup are you referring to with "this"?

> The tabs look uglier, and also give you the false impression that by
> clicking on them you are just switching pages in the folder view. 
> Instead, they are supposed to switch full components.  (Because it
> simplifies the common case where you are switching between reading your
> mail and reading the calendar, for example, without requiring extra
> clicks.)

Oh, I see that you're talking about mockup no. 2. Well, the tabs look
uglier because they're just a quick ripoff from the Slashdot guy mockup
(I tried to warn you about my artistic skills ...) and yes, there are
definitely layout problems, which I hinted to I think. But please
realize that this not at all my no. 1 choice, it's just a fallback
solution in case the "integrated window" has to stay in any case. What I
would like to see is mockup no. 1.

Ciao

--
Roberto Rosselli Del Turco      e-mail:	rosselli at cisi.unito.it
Dipartimento di Scienze			rosselli at ling.unipi.it
del Linguaggio			Then spoke the thunder	DA
Universita' di Torino		Datta: what have we given?  (TSE)

  Hige sceal the heardra,     heorte the cenre,
  mod sceal the mare,       the ure maegen litlath.  (Maldon 312-3)