unity-design team mailing list archive

[Thibaut Brandscheid <randaltor@xxxxxx>]

Hi all

I really like Oneiric - the Launcher improvements!!! - and if I should
describe it with one word, 'smooth' would be the word.

Since installing Oneiric last week I documented all kind of quirks and
faults. Hopes this list is to some use to you and that some of the topics
get discussed on the upcoming UDS-P - print/save this list and take it with
you :)

The goal for the LTS is polish and to get all common actions done hustle
free.


Here accrued points:

■ → Hot - Needs to be fixed - IMHO

■ → Medium - Should be fixed - IMHO

■ → Low - Would be nice if it would be fixed - IMHO


*1. Dash*

   - Dash seems alien to the rest of the system
   - *Improve Dash search algorithm - Dash is e.g. not able right now to
   find German System Settings (called 'Systemeinstellungen' - two
words written
   together) when writing only one part 'einstellungen' (mens 'settings' in
   German).*
   - Dash speed is okay, but not fast (pressing SUPER and start writing
   should be possible)
   - Redesign Dash start menu (if we get some 'Dash Settings' place an icon
   there)
   - Change order of Dash headlines ('Most Frequently used'...) to under the
   icon → 1 key press down → marks first item - right now (Oneiric) 2 key
   presses are necessary to reach first Dash search result = unhandy.
   - Application Lens - Rename Scope 'Installed' to 'Apps' and remove all
   none useful applications from it → less cluttered = higher findability (move
   items like the system settings entries - not the icon itself - and 'shut
   down', 'Open JDK'...)
   - Add to Nautilus Launcher right click menu 'Start new Window' (seems to
   be a bug - can't find a ticket)
   - On Dash bottom the Lens icons need to show an info text when hovering
   them for some seconds
   - Double click on Dash window top bar should maximize/un-maximize  (same
   behavior as other windows)
   - Add key to collapse/un-collapse Dash scopes
   - Define a key that when pressed down continuously will avoid closing of
   the Dash when Dash is open (SUPER would be nice, since its frank when Dash
   is active) → would allow to open multiple programs/files faster using the
   Dash
   - Add to Dash 'new [Doc,Mail...]' items - e.g. 'new mail' = new
   Thunderbird mail
   - Add 'Other' scope to app-lens and include there:  new documen, mail...
   and restart, shut down...
   - Click on the Dash boarder closes the Dash → for the user = unexpectedly
   - Right bottom corner/the Dash boarder allows no resizing = unexpected =
   one reason why the Dash feels alien

*
2. Thunderbird*

   - *Change the default mail column sorting from 'oldest top' to 'newest
   top'* (current appearance seems old style an is an UX misdeed)
   - When right clicking on a folder in Thunderbird main menu, the first
   menu entry should be 'Mark Folder Read'

*
3. Banshee*

   - Move Banshee's 'Audiobooks' & 'Podcast' folders to
   ~/Music/{Audiobooks,Podcast} = cleaner home folder.
   - Start Banshee minimized when adding a song to it using Music Lens and
   Banshee was "off" before.


*4. Ubuntu Software Center*

   - Improve USC search algorithm - e.g search results are right now
   different when typing 'Conky' - 'conky' (tipping 'Conky' doesn't show the
   package 'conky')
   - Create a bunch of videos on how to use Ubuntu 12.04 and put them in the
   USC (+ Yelp - when video-how-to package is installed) and upload them on
   YouTube

*
5. Nautilus*

   - When copping data to an usb drive that appears empty (but there are
   files still in the trash bin) the upcomming dialoge should not tell that
   there is not enough space → ask If the user wants to empty trash bin of the
   usb drive to be able to copy new data to it - if there is enough space.
   - Nautilus Samba shares doesn't work always (needs UX testing)
   - Make categories like 'Devices' in Nautilus collapsible
   - Change the 'File System' icon in Nautilus to something better
   distinguishable from the other icons
    - Redesign Nautilus right click menu → by fare too much entries!! No
   need e.g. for 'Revert to previous version' when not using Deja Dup at all...
   - Add nautilus-image-converter to default installation → solves a common
   problem for a lot of people
   - New devices should open in a new Nautilus tab when Nautilus is already
   running (optional - less clutter)
   - Add mouse 3 click & back/forward click actions to nautilus

*
6. UX (User Experience)*

   - Reduce font and padding/margin size in default applications
   - Prevent file piling on the Desktop (old but visual very annoying bug)
   - *A Window shouldn't intrusion visible into another workspace!*
   - Deactivate touchpad when mouse is connected to the Laptop - I know,
   wishlist → please, please :)

*
7. Other*

   - Make 'write metadata to files' default cfg option in Banshee & Shotwell
   (people expecting this)
   - Add 'Start service at login' option to Thunderbird & Empathy (a mail
   daemon would be so nice that checks for new mails → notification when new
   mail arrives)
   - Formating a USB drive is way to complicated and doesn't work often as
   expected (needs UX testing)
   - Set a fix position for the 'Applying changes' window above the 'Update
   Manager' (current state looks unprofessional)
   - *Add to the device right click menu in the Launcher and Nautilus a menu
   entry that lets the user formate an drive easily* (like the MS Windows
   one - sorry, but that is an easy one)
   - Clean up LibreOffice Writer UI (to much unused icons spamming the
   interface)
   - 'Shotwell Viewer' as default image viewer (reason: has editing
   functions)
   - Add shortcuts to Gwibber (can't believe that there are none - no man
   page either)
   - Expand the 'Startup Applications' to be able to *auto-mount partitions
   and open applications & files* → see appended
image<http://image-upload.de/image/tk0GyW/dad7cb0f55.png>(with an
option to open programs minimized)
   - If no printer is detected the printing dialog should auto select 'Print
   to File' and PDF (reduces needed clicks)
   - Yelp ('Ubuntu Desktop Guid') should contain a list of 'most
   used'/'useful' shortcuts for all default applications.
   - Disk Utility needs a redesign
   - 'System Settings → Screen' is complicated to understand for average
   users (needs UX testing)
   - Add shortcuts to control the sound indicator
   - New sound theme
   - Remove the user name from switch-user-indicator (UI looks cleaner)
   - Remove Tomboy (to complicated - power user can install it later) and
   LibreOffice Draw
    - Add option to 'mouse options' dialog to change mouse scrolling speed
   (very helpful when reading a lot)
   - Add all man pages to Yelp

*
8. New shortcuts suggestions:*
Shortcuts are a good and easy way to enhance system usability for power
users without disrupting the workflow of average users. All common actions
should be reachable through shortcuts. The 'CTRL+ALT+[KEY]' combination
should be used to start common actions (except CTRL+ALT+t = new Terminal)
and SUPER+[KEY] to launch applications and interact with the Unity Shell.

   - CTRL+ALT+g = new Gwibber message
   - CTRL+ALT+m = new mail ('thunderbird -compose')
   - CTRL+ALT+n = new LibreOffice Writer text document ('libreoffice
   --writer')
   - CTRL+ALT+b = toggle Banshee playing ('banshee --toggle-playing' -
   launches Banshee when inactive before)


*9. Proposals for UX-Tests:*
Some system parts have just-to-work in user point of view and USB drive
formating and sharing files over an local network are some of them. Both
topics have never really worked smoothly (for me and others I talked to) →
to complicated. Formating a USB drive is a common action. 'Disk Utility'
has  - and ask when formating - to much questions and comes with an
cluttered interface = not average user friendly.
Same for Samba. When creating a share and checking the guest box often it is
not possible to access the files of the other persons computer. Network
sharing is a very common task *that has just-to-work*. No normal user
understands smb.conf.

Here the tests I purpose:

USB drive formating

   - Ask participants to formate an USB drive

Samba

   - Ask participants to copy some data - Internet or from USB drive - to
   the download folder and share it over the network (using Samba)
   - Ask participants to copy data from other participants to there download
   folder


Hope the pointed topics are relevant and useful to you.

Greetings
Thibaut


*Conclusion:*

Jan Moren <https://plus.google.com/105059362788808645801>:
"As a developer I have to say I really like Unity. It's great at getting out
of the way and give me more screen real estate for my work. As someone said
on /., our desktops really are nothing but app launchers after all. What
matters most is how well it gets out of the way, and Unity is good at that."

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