Re: [Usability] Seahorse Least Usable String

[Matthew Paul Thomas <mpt myrealbox com>]

On Sep 17, 2006, at 3:21 AM, Nate Nielsen wrote:
> ...
> On another topic, I hope this is okay ... I've attached screenshots of
> Seahorse's very worst feature description. As you can see by the
> descriptions, I'm stumped on this one. I cringe every time I see it.

Ooh, a challenge. :-)

> CONCEPT: You've created a secure shell key, and now want to use it.
>
> TECHNICAL: This feature helps you send the public part of your key to
> another computer so you can log in using the key. You must have a login
> account on that computer (which may use a password).
>
> MENU ITEM: Remote | Configure key for Secure Shell..
>
> DIALOGS: Attached.
> ...

The first dialog:
> Create an Secure Shell Key

"Create an Secure" should be "Create a Secure", or maybe even just "New 
Secure" (because dialog titles are typically headline-style, not just 
headline-capitalization).

The icon doesn't make the dialog any more understandable, consumes 
horizontal space, and makes the dialog look like an alert when it 
isn't. I suggest removing it. (Too many Gnome dialogs have unhelpful 
icons.)

> A Secure Shell Key allows you to access other computers via a terminal 
> or file manager.

Minimal copyediting (3 changes): "A Secure Shell key lets you access 
other computers using a terminal or file manager."

Rewrite suggestion, answering more of the "why" question: "A Secure 
Shell (SSH) key lets you authenticate securely to other computers using 
SSH, without entering a different password for each of them."

(Is that an accurate description? If not, I'll need to rewrite much of 
what follows.)

> An email address helps identify your key.

Is this what "man ssh-keygen" is talking about here? -- "For RSA1 keys, 
there is also a comment field in the key file that is only for 
convenience to the user to help identify the key. The comment can tell 
what the key is for, or whatever is useful."

If so, I suggest replacing this sentence with a hint under the field 
itself.

Key identifier: [______________________________________________]
                Use your e-mail address, and any other reminder
                you need about what this key is for.

> Configure Secure Shell Key for Login

I think this heading is unnecessary. And having a heading in the middle 
of the dialog, with the following text indented, makes the whole dialog 
look unbalanced.

>   To use your new key to access another computer you must first it
>   must first be configured for login on that computer.

Minimal copyediting (4 changes): "To access another computer with your 
new key, you first need to configure it for login with that key."

Rewrite suggestion: "To connect to another computer with your new key, 
you must first tell that computer about the key."

> [/] Configure my new key on another computer

This is an example of a common problem with checkboxes: "Or what?" Is 
the alternative configuring the key on your own computer? (I know it's 
not, but others won't.) Clearer would be something like:
(*) I want to set up this key now for connecting to a computer
( ) Just create the key, I'll set it up for other computers later

But that could leave people wondering how the "Create" button can 
possibly work, when they haven't any details of the other computer yet. 
So instead, I suggest replacing the whole "Configure Secure Shell Key 
for Login" section with:

    If there is already a computer you want to use this key with,
    you can set up that computer to recognize your key now.

    (Just Create the Key)      ( Cancel ) ((Create and Set Up...))

The Help button can be changed to an icon-only button at the top right 
of the dialog (you're most likely to need help if the immediately 
adjacent description wasn't useful enough.)

> |> Advanced Options

Disclosure triangle labels should use sentence case, like checkboxes 
and radio buttons do: "Advanced options".

I don't know what's inside here, but I guess it's extra options for the 
key itself, rather than for the login configuration. In that case, it 
should be "Advanced key options", and it should be immediately below 
the  only key option that is visible (the e-mail address field), not 
separated from it.

End result:
 _______________________________________________________________
|::::::::::::::::::::: New Secure Shell Key ::::::::::::::::::::|
|                                                               |
| A Secure Shell (SSH) key lets you authenticate securely   [?] |
| to trusted computers using SSH, without entering a            |
| different password for each of them.                          |
|                  ___________________________________________  |
| Key identifier: [___________________________________________] |
|                 Use your e-mail address, and any other        |
|                 reminder you need about what this key is for. |
|                                                               |
| |> Advanced key options                                       |
|                                                               |
|                                                               |
| If there is already a computer you want to use this key with, |
| you can set up that computer to recognize your key now.       |
|                                                               |
| (Just Create the Key)     ( Cancel ) ((Create and Set Up...)) |
|_______________________________________________________________|

Now to the second dialog:
> Configure Secure Shell Key for Login

You're not really doing anything to the key itself, are you? Maybe "Set 
Up Computer for SSH Connection" instead? (This would follow naturally 
from the "Create and Set Up..." button in the previous dialog.)

And there's another unhelpful icon. Kill! Kill! :-)

> This will configure another computer to allow use your Secure Shell 
> key when you log into it.
>
> The computer in question must be running Secure Shell (SSH), and you 
> must already have an login account on it.

Minimal copyediting (5 changes):
> This will configure another computer to let you use your Secure Shell 
> key when connecting to it.
>
> The other computer must be running Secure Shell (SSH), and you must 
> already have a login account on it.

But still, it's a bit late now to mention that the other computer must 
be running SSH! :-) That's why I mentioned it in the first sentence of 
the previous dialog. That lets you be a bit more brief about it here, 
which in turn lets you collapse the two sentences into one.

Rewrite suggestion: "To use your Secure Shell key with another computer 
that uses SSH, you must already have a login account on that computer."

> Login Name: [nate____________________]
> Computer:   [________________]: [____]

First, these seem to be in the wrong order. Login accounts are usually 
subsidiary to computers, not the other way around.

Second, if it wasn't for the ":", I'd be at a loss for what I should 
enter in the "Computer" field. I guess many people won't understand the 
significance of ":", but nor would they know terms like "hostname", so 
I think the best way to help here is to provide an example under the 
field.

End result:
 ______________________________________________________________
|::::::::::::: Set Up Computer for SSH Connection :::::::::::::|
|                                                              |
| To use your Secure Shell key with another computer that uses |
| SSH, you must already have a login account on that computer. |
|                    _____________________________   ______    |
|    Computer name: [_____________________________]:[______]   |
|          Example: fileserver.example.com         : 8086      |
|                    _____________________                     |
|       Login name: [_____________________]                    |
|                                                              |
|                             ( Cancel ) (( Set Up Computer )) |
|______________________________________________________________|

I hope all this is helpful.

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