launchpad-dev team mailing list archive

[Curtis Hovey <curtis@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Trusting targets

When users say they do not trust the project picker, we need to think about
what users mean by project. The background story usually involves creating
or moving objects like bugs, blueprints, branches, or questions. We know these
objects do not just work with products (projects), they work with a
heterogeneous set of model objects that implement or can be adapted to a
target type.

There are common themes in the bugs the users report.
    * The user must know the launchpad model to select the action:
      Is the bug upstream, in a distro, or in a project?
    * The object does not appear when they provide an exact match:
      Ubuntu does not appear in a product vocabulary
      Binary package names do not appear in some package vocabularies
    * The picker times out.
      The picker times out when the user searches for an exact match.
    * The listing does not show enough information to make a choice:
      The summary line is missing or ambiguous in package vocabularies
      The user sees two projects of similar name, one of which his team
      does not maintain.
    * The item the user selects does not match the item on completion.
      Launchpad lets the user choose a binary package, but uses a source
      package.
    * The choice is not accepted; the form reports an error.
      Why does Launchpad let users select unpublished source packages?
      Why can I select Ubuntu if the bug is already targeted to Ubuntu?
    * The form times out.
      Launchpad does not trust the picker choice, so it tries to adapt
      the choice, even when it does not need adaption.

Users precieve Launchpad to be unreliable, or complex. They do not trust
the items they see in a listing, or that the choice they make will
complete their task. Working as an answer contact, you may know that users
loose access to bugs, blueprints or questions when they make a mistake
retargeting them.

My requirements for success
    * I am shown a list with exact matches first.
    * My search does not timeout.
    * I can see the project I am affiliated with.
    * I can see the launchpad Id.
    * I can see a summary for the item.
    * I can learn more about and item in the listing.
    * The item I select is the item that is used.
    * The item I select does not cause a form error.

I believe my requirements can be met be one of these implementations:
    * Create a multi-step picker that walks the user through the fixed
      vocabularies.
      * Choose a pillar, then many choose a package or project
      * Requires lazr.js multi-step pretty overlay
      * Requires that each use case' multi-step be orchestrated.
      * I need to go back if I make a mistake.
    * Create new vocabularies that list heterogeneous set of objects.
      * Requires new vocabularies that represent the valid target types.

Both possible solutions require that vocabularies are fast, they show only
valid choices, and the information about them is informative.
    * There is less than 70k valid choices for a package, project, or distro,
      which is far less than the 1M of registered users and teams.
    * I can search on a binary package, but I will see a source package with
      the binary package listed in the summary.
    * I can search for Ubuntu or Zeitgeist and see them in the listing.
    * The vocabulary returns only valid choices, there is not secondary check
      by the form.

I favour creating new vocabularies that list heterogeneous set of objects
because the UI is simpler to build and to operate.

Searching for "Ubuntu Zeitgeist" might show:
    # Ubuntu (ubuntu)                                                       #
      Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with
      both community and professional support.
    # Zeitgeist (zeitgeist)
      Zeitgeist is a service which logs the users's activities and events
      (files opened, websites visites, conversations held with other ...
    # “zeitgeist” package in Ubuntu (ubuntu zeitgeist)
      zeitgeist, zeitgeist-core
    # “zeitgeist-datahub” package in Ubuntu (ubuntu zeitgeist-datahub)
      zeitgeist-datahub: event logging framework - passive logging daemon
    # “zeitgeist-extensions” package in Ubuntu (ubuntu zeitgeist-extensions)
      zeitgeist-extension-fts, zeitgeist-fts-extension
    # “libqzeitgeist” package in Ubuntu (ubuntu libqzeitgeist)
      libqzeitgeist-dev, libqzeitgeist0

These are the bugs I am looking at
    Bug tag: project-picker
    * Separate "also affects: " Project and Distribution links are hard to use
      and confusing
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/1334
    * Can't target bug report from project to distribution, or vice versa
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/80902
    * "loading results failed" in vocabulary search picker
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/419534
    * Adding a task on a project group should offer a choice of the
      projects in that group
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/768299

    Bug tag: package-picker
    * Question:+huge-vocabulary is often slow (10% of requests)
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/618366
    * BugTask:+huge-vocabulary timeout
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/736014
    * package picker lists unpublished (invalid) packages
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/42298
    * "Also affects: Distribution" doesn't accept binary package names while
      "Report a bug" does
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/157602
    * 'choose a source package' suggests undefined when search has too many
      results
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/410864
    * "Choose..." source package search results ◀ navigation ▶ jumps around
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/698020
    * "Choose..." source package search results navigation shows wrong batch
      on subsequent search
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/698022
    * "Choose..." source package search results have strange blue bullet icon
      https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/698024
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__C U R T I S  C.  H O V E Y___________
No matter where you go...there you are.

-- 

__C U R T I S  C.  H O V E Y___________
No matter where you go...there you are.