Re: [Usability] The ``Replace File'' dialog should display the two file

[Matthew Thomas <mpt myrealbox com>]

On 28 Jul, 2005, at 5:28 AM, Corey Burger wrote:
> Joachim Noreiko and I have been discussing a good UI for the subjects
> use case at this bug:
> http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=47893

Previous proposal:
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/usability/2005-June/msg00017.html

> ...
> Mine: http://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=46071&action=view

Good:
*   Names the destination folder.
*   Uses relative dates.
Bad:
*   Has a close button. (I assume the maximize button is a Glade-ism.)
*   "Conflict while copying" + "File Copying Conflict".
*   Layout looks very clumsy, particularly the two jostling icons, the
    big black arrow, and the heading cells in the middle (!) of the
    table.
*   Takes longer than two seconds to read.
*   Doesn't ask anything.

> Joachims: http://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=48083&action=view
> ...

Good:
*   Simple.
Bad:
*   Has a close button.
*   Unusual proportions will make people slower at recognizing it as an
    alert.
*   Two expanders in a single alert. (And .... comparing file *contents*
    inside an alert?)
*   The labels of both expanders start with the same two words, both are
    verb phrases rather than noun phrases, and (as a result) both end
    with an ellipsis, all of which make them more difficult to
    distinguish in the ~0.5 seconds people spend on them.
*   Contains a Help button. The probability that anyone will (1) open
    help, (2) read the help, and (3) *thereby* become enlightened enough
    to make the correct decision, is vanishingly small.
*   Doesn't ask anything.

Mitigating factor:
*   There is currently no widely-used file manager that performs this
    function in a way simple enough to minimize errors. So doing it
    badly will not be surprising to those who've used computers before.

--
Matthew Thomas
http://mpt.net.nz/