Re: [Usability] An idea (menus and launchers)

[Carlos Moreno <moreno_pg mochima com>]

Bill Wohler wrote:
> Carlos Moreno <moreno_pg mochima com> writes:
>
>   
> > Anyway, it's related to the Recent Documents, or rather, the Recently
> > Used Files in the applications.  The idea is quite simple;  instead of (or
> > in addition to) having just one Recent Documents in the "Places" menu,
> > each particular menu item for an application could/should have a sub-
> > menu with the recent documents.  Also, and I think this is the nicer
> > part of my idea, *the launchers* should have a sub-menu as soon as
> > there are documents recently used for the corresponding application.
> >
> > If the user clicks on the launcher itself, then the application opens as
> > usual (e.g., with a blank document);  if the user clicks on the little
> > arrow next to the launcher (the "drop-down" arrow), then the Recent
> > Documents list opens underneath the icon.
> >     
>
> One nice thing about the Recent Documents is that the user does not
> have to know or care about the application that is used to view it.
>
> A problem I see with the menu idea is that it would change the
> paradigm of a menu with sub-menus. Currently, I don't think a menu
> with a sub-menu can execute a command. It would also pose a usability
> issue--how would you know if a menu item with a sub-menu was
> launchable or not?
>   

At the risk of sounding like I'm obsessively/irrationally defending
my idea, I have an objection to this argument:

If it is decided that the idea is indeed a good idea and worth making
it a reality, then the technical arguments about the difficulty to
make it happen should automatically become "not applicable" --- *if*
it is decided that it is a good idea, then I think it is implied that
it is also decided to spend whatever effort is necessary to make it
happen.

If the functionality of menus with a sub-menu executing a command is
not currently implemented, well, we implement it !!   (again, *if* it
is decided that the idea is good and that it is worth implementing)

Ok, the issue of how the user knows whether a menu with sub-menu is
launchable or not, ok, I have to agree that that *is* an issue...  I
still think that, for consistency, the feature should be implemented
in *both* menus and launchers  (given that these two are supposed to
be a "mirror image" of each other --- very informally speaking).

Maybe a *different* indication for the sub-menu?  Maybe even a mini-
icon suggestive of documents with a little arrow with it?  Maybe it
could be the same that is used for the launcher --- that way, it is
immediately obvious for the user that we're talking about the same
feature.

As for the argument that with Recent Documents the user doesn't need
to care about which application --- I see that I initially proposed
this instead of the Recent Documents, with the "in addition to" as an
alternative;  your comments points in the direction that, if anything,
it should be *in addition to*.  That way, *if* the user goes through
the menu to choose an application, then that means that the user (this
particular user) does care about which application, and they would
likely appreciate the Recent Documents *for that* application to
appear right there.  One functionality does not contradict the other
one.


Thanks,

Carlos
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