Re: [Usability] Re: New launcher edition dialog

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

On Thu, 2006-03-30 at 11:54 +0100, Joachim Noreiko wrote:
> --- Reinout van Schouwen <reinouts gnome org> wrote:
> > Also, maybe a "lightbulb tip" could be shown that
> > users can drag pictures
> > to the icon field.
> 
> It's best to avoid putting documentation in the
> interface. (There's a note in the HIG about this.)
> 
> When this dialog is implemented, I'm sure Vincent will
> let me know & I can update the documentation itself
> with all the features. :)

I think the HIG is overly zealous about this point.
Here's the direct quote:

  Do not include text in windows that describes how to
  use the interface, for example You can install a new
  theme by dropping it here. As well as adding visual
  clutter, descriptive labels can also conflict with
  information provided in documentation.

First, we can strike that last sentence as ridiculous.
Why would it conflict with information provided in the
documentation?  It might be redundant, but conflict?

There is certainly danger that lightbulb tips will be
used excessively as band-aids on interfaces that don't
properly advertise what they do.  For instance, let's
say you used a plain text label and then put in a tip
that said "Click this label to open...."  That would
be dumb.  Just use a button, or maybe a hyperlink.

But I don't think we need to exclude them unilaterally.
There are a number of things you need to consider when
thinking about adding tips to the interface:

* How much space will the tip occupy?
* How frequently is this window used?  In frequently-used
  windows, tips will start to get really annoying, because
  they're always there, staring you in the face.
* How well can the window accommodate a tip?  Dialogs tend
  to be more flexible about this sort of thing.  Document
  layouts (menu, toolbar, content) are less so.
* Can you eliminate the need for the tip with a better
  interface?
* Is the information in the tip truly useful?

For example, I proposed once a screenshot tool interface
that we could use when you call it from the menus (while
still leaving the current behavior on the shortcuts).  It
allowed you to select what sort of screenshot you want to
take.  Under the checkbox for single-window screenshots,
I proposed adding italic text telling you to try using
Alt+PrntScrn instead.  Similarly for entire-screen shots.

* It occupies very little space.
* The window is used relatively infrequently by most
  people, and hopefully less frequently after reading
  those tips.
* The window easily accommodates those tips as text
  below the checkbox options.
* Global shortcuts are hard to make discoverable, and
  this would be quite possibly the most effective way
  to show them to people who care.
* It's really useful information.

Sorry, I couldn't resist plugging that interface.

--
Shaun