[Usability] Re: Suggestion for the actual UI of GTK+'s New FileSelector

[Sean Middleditch <elanthis awesomeplay com>]

On Tue, 2004-01-06 at 23:27, Eugenia Loli-Queru wrote:
> >> This should be the idea, yes. To guide the user to what and how to do
> next.
> 
> >again, as i stated, i think that's a *bad* thing.
> 
> Sorry, but I disagree. Let's agree to disagree. :)

heh.  unfortunately, that's the kind of cop out that doesn't in anyway
benefit anyone, because a decision has to be made somewhere, yes?  ~,^ 
i think we've both made all our arguments on this to completion, tho.

> 
> > perhaps some tests/studies should be done on this - both of us are just
> > guessing at which way is better
> 
> I would love to see some tests on this too.
> 
> > on an unrelated note, what is the reason for the "view as list"
> > drop-down in Erick's mockup?  if there is the possibility of switching
> > between list and icon view, shouldn't it just use the nautilus settings
> > for doing so for consistency?
> 
> I am not sure what the Nautilus settings perceives as "default" though. For
> example, my husband --having spent $5000 on photo equipment since last
> year-- he now uses a OSX and uses Finder to catalog his (too many) pictures.
> He doesn't want to have a default setting for all windows, because for his
> images folders he wants to have full 128x128 thumbnails while use normal
> 32x32 icons for the rest of the folders. AFAIK, this is not even settable on
> Nautilus -- it will just preview whatever you have told it to preview. So if
> the default on nautilus is "icon view at 75% with previews On", that's the
> last thing I want to see on a file selector. Now, that wouldl look weird, to
> say the least.

Hmm, as I recall, Nautilus at least remembered icon/list view
per-folder.  Dunno about zoom.  Ideally, the file selector would honor
these options completely.  In the end, there's always going to be
*someone* who wants it behave differently than how it does - i suppose
the best thing is to do determine which is the most common, and if the
alternative is popular/important enough to warrant an option, and
whether that option should be right on the dialog or hidden away. 
again, more testing and well-thought use cases would probably do more
good than either of us arguing.  ;-)

> 
> Eugenia
-- 
Sean Middleditch <elanthis awesomeplay com>
AwesomePlay Productions, Inc.