Re: [Usability] How do you organize your desktop environment?

[Jacob Beauregard <jake13jake comcast net>]

Interesting. I didn't quite mean with icons on the desktop, but with 
windows over the desktop.

What I've discovered is:
1. Most users place IM utility on the far right of the screen.
   -This is usually accompanied by maximum vertical expansion.
   -Expansion meaning, not interfering with other windows.
   -Similarly constructed windows are usually under the one on the 
right, or on the far left.
   -Some IM utilities I've seen have a built-in docking capability. As 
do some media utilities.
This requires:
   -moving the window to the far right of the screen
   -(resizing the top of the window)
   -resizing the bottom of the window.
2. Most users generally have a larger application (browser/email/media 
player) that covers the center of the screen
   -this window usually takes the most space and when resized, is 
usually expanded
   -users get irritated when the window overlaps the window on the 
right when it covers information they might be interested in.
3. Most users also have smaller windows in the center of the screen.
   -examples: IM windows(most times), email (sometimes larger), 
preference windows
   -these are sometimes organized, sometimes disorganized.

Derived ideas:
   1. Alternative manner of treating available space.
      - Available space is currently defined as pretty much anything 
that isn't docked.
      - However, there could be an alternative definition that is meet 
the edge of  the next non-overlying window.
      - This would address maximizing space without interfering with 
what a user might place on the left or right side of their screens.
      - This would differ in the current definition of available space 
as it can be dynamic for each window.
   2. Alternative manner of moving a window within available space 
(move to edge).
      - Currently you can only move a window via click and drag.
      - Another method might employ a static location that the mouse is 
moved around, and the resulting direction (N,NE,E,SE,S,SW,W,NW) relative 
from the mouse to the static location is where the window moves to in 
regards to available space.
   3. Alternative manner of expanding a window (by direction).
      - Currently you can expand or contract the edge of a window. The 
most drastic of resizing is usually expansion.
      - An alternative method of expansion would be expand within 
available space.
      - An implementation of this might include double-clicking when 
the the resize cursor is on. In fact, the cursors in my installation of 
Ubuntu makes me feel like this would already make sense.
   4. Alternative manner of expanding a window (horizontal/vertical).
      - Currently you can only expand a window by specific direction or 
by maximization.
      - An addition could be full expansion vertically/horizontally.
   5. Manner of pushing all windows out of a particular space.
      - Just imagine a vertical bar running down the right of your 
screen that pushes the left-edges of all encountered windows right 
(matching along the bar).

The one suggestion here that has the least consequence would be the 
alternative manner of spanning a window (by direction). The rest of 
these ideas would probably need to be added to different parts of the 
user interface.

Diego Moya wrote:
> First things first, you should start by reading previous research on
> the subject, to stand on the shoulders of giants and avoid reinventing
> the wheel (so to speak). You can gain on the insight of the
> researchers.
>
> http://pamela.shirahime.ch/publications/GfA2004.pdf
>
> If you have access to academic sources, check the full paper:
> http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1005361.1005363
>
> There are also some open sourced research:
> http://www.betterdesktop.org/blog/
>
> Cheers
>
>
> On 03/01/07, Jason Brower <encompass gmail com> wrote:
>   
> > To follow your lead...
> > This email is part of a brain storm... To make send... please find the
> > original messege from jake13jake
> > Ways to make it easier to organize as we often do.
> > Let's study the way we organize in a common desktop environment to spawn
> > ideas on how to improve the usability of a desktop environment.
> >     
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