Re: [Usability] User centered redesign of desktop preferences

[Maarten <m menheere gmx net>]

On Tue, 2005-02-22 at 13:46 +0100, Reinout van Schouwen wrote: 
> Hi Maarten,
> 
> On Mon, 21 Feb 2005, Maarten wrote:
> 
> > - Remove preferences that can be placed in applications
> 
> I think that's the wrong way around. Applications should have as little 
> preferences as possible, only those that can't be placed in the GNOME 
> control center! (For instance: network proxy settings.)

The preferences shown in de control center should have affect on the
desktop as a whole. This approach has the effect that the preferences
shown have no relation to each other making them totally confusing. The
control center should have a bit more thought put in to it. What should
be in there: preferences that are important to the desktop as a whole
and relevant to the user. 

> Furthermore, by moving application prefs to the foreground, you 
> emphasize the application centric model, which is exactly what GNOME is 
> moving away from, in favour of focus on the content. Evince is a nice 
> example.

I agree with this. Preferences should be used where they make sense.

> > Made a small demo
> > http://home.wanadoo.nl/sbm/pictures/Desktop-preferences.html
> 
> Plays nicely using swfdec. :)
> 
> > http://home.wanadoo.nl/sbm/pictures/personal-info-applet.jpg
> 
> Comments:
> - how many pictures and avatars would you want to have in the capplet? 
> Three is already a bit much, but you're still missing a gdm face, and 
> who knows what.

Hmm it does seem a bit much. You could divide the applet in the
following pieces:
-User pictures. (Different representations of you)
-Profiles  (Desktop customizations fitting user identity)
-Location. (regional specific settings)
-Communication (email/aim settings).

> - You should probably label the 'Cancel' button 'Close' instead.

You are right :)

> > A lot of the desktop preferences can be removed by allowing a user to
> > access them via the computer folder.
> 
> Good point, but the question is how much GNOME should do and how much is 
> better left to the distro vendor...
> 
> > devices the user can see physically connected (real) to the computer.
> > Cd-roms are "a bit of a weird duck in tha bite" (Dutch) as not the

What I think is very important is that you should not mix two concepts
together. Most users have no concept of what disks are. You should only
show objects in the computer folder that are present in the real world,
on the users desk. 

This is how the computer dialog looks on my desktop (garnome 2.9.90):
http://home.wanadoo.nl/sbm/pictures/Computer.png The contents has no
relation to the concept "computer" from the users point of view.

> That expression _really_ does not translate, Maarten :)
> (For the non-Dutch speakers: the expression is "een vreemde eend in de 
> bijt", where "bijt" is an archaic word for an area of open water 
> enclosed by ice, and "vreemd" (weird) means "unfamiliar")

It is like this: trying to lead you around the garden, and you could
talk about it until you shot carrots :). Anyway it was not a direct
translation, I can do anything I want :). 

> > Outside folder
> 
> This seems to be close to the contents of the Places panel menu, but in 
> a window. Am I correct?

Not really, the intention was to make all things that connect the
computer with the outside available here. It is more like the network
folder only then mixed with services available to the whole system. Or
all things related to networks, connectivity and sharing which are
relevant to the user. In this way you create a central place to
configure and access "outside" stuff. 

> Aside: just now I'm noticing that both Nautilus and the GNOME panel have 
> a Places menu item now, with some identical, some different items. Why, 
> oh why, can't these two menus match?

This is indeed a bit inconsistent. Only somehow I am not able to make screenshots of menus, making discussion on this stuff a bit difficult.

> regards,
> 
Thanks for the reply.