Re: [Usability] Re: New way of accessing software (WAS: Re: Big Panel menus (32x32))

[Koen Hufkens <koen hufkens pandora be>]

On Sat, 2003-06-14 at 05:52, David Adam Bordoley wrote:
> Daniel Borgmann writes: 
> What you are doing is essentially moving the mess from a visual mess to a 
> mental mess. If a user can visually find anything from a common start point 
> (the desktop) it is much easier to manage and clean up.

That's true if there is a logical system behind placing files on the
desktop. So for this to work you will have to arrange files
automatically. Would it be by name, by filetype or by most frequently
used or whatever. If not the desktop will be one big clutter without
consistency, compared to that looking in a folder is much easier,
certainly if you have a big desktop with lots of files on it.

So I would stress on keeping everything so condensed as possible so you
don't have to scan your whole desktop for files here and there.

Keeping folders seperated from individual by grouping them. And keeping
folders/files seperated from things like Mounted drives/file management
tools is logical to me, just to make a difference between what is being
used and not classified in a micromanaged way, and the already
classified files.

So, I think you should be aware of the fact that placing files on a
desktop is asking for clutter and a mess if you don't organize it
automatically to attain a certain standard layout and a structural
buildup (the way you arrange the files folders).

The strength of menu's is the consistency and the fact that people learn
where what to find, if you change the buildup of a desktop at random by
just letting people place stuff here and there it will get cluttered and
hard to search. If you place stuff in dynamic folders or what you call
it, this problem will be solved ofcourse.

Just some random rambling,
Koen.