Re: [Usability] screenshot & recording desktop video

[Calum Benson <Calum Benson Sun COM>]

On 7 Jun 2005, at 20:50, jeroen xs4all nl wrote:

> A problem with this approach is that there is very little feedback  
> to the
> user when the recording has stopped. Perhaps it's better to record  
> first
> and then ask how/where to save it?

Perhaps not possible the way X works, but it would be nice if the  
mouse pointer changed globally while the recording was happening.  Or  
perhaps you could play an old cine-camera noise for the duration :)


> 2. Modify the screenshot dialog so the user can say "no i don't want a
> static screenshot, record a video instead". After that, the same  
> workflow
> follows as described above. I'm not sure this is a good approach  
> since if
> done incorrectly, you could clutter the screenshot dialog (it's really
> simple & easy to use atm). We might just add an option to indicate the
> user wants to record a video and then for how long (seconds) or  
> unlimited
> (user-action to stop recording). And then after it has recorded the  
> video
> only then ask how & where to save it. Problem with this approach is  
> that
> you get 1 dialog for 2 different functions. For example: the current
> dialog has a Save (iirc) button for saving the screenshot. How  
> would this
> work if you could also start recording a video in that dialog?

I forget exactly how the current screenshot dialog looks (I only have  
2.6 in front of me right now), but given that it would be nice to  
have it allow delayed and window-only snapshots too, I'd eventually  
envisage a three-stage process:

1. Initial dialog to ask you what sort of screen capture you want  
(screenshot[+delay], window[+delay], video[+duration]);

2. The image or video capture happens;

3. Standard file dialog pops up, showing thumbnail of image or video  
you've just taken.

You do lose the 'instant preview' feature of the current dialog,  
which is a bit of a shame.  But you still get to see it before you  
save, and IMHO the fact that the screenshot currently happens before  
the dialog appears at all makes its appearance seem rather sluggish  
anyway, at least on my machines-- so if anything it might make the  
process seem a little snappier (ho-ho).

Cheeri,
Calum.

--
CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer       Sun Microsystems Ireland
mailto:calum benson sun com            Java Desktop System Team
http://ie.sun.com                      +353 1 819 9771

Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems