unity-design team mailing list archive

[James Jenner <james.g.jenner@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 2 November 2011 13:34, Chow Loong Jin <hyperair@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On 02/11/2011 11:14, anthropornis wrote:
> > Or I could click one button one time. That is the essence of simplicity.
>
> You could say that for every commonly used feature there is.
>
> I don't frequently change views, for example, but I frequently change
> between
> showing hidden files and not. I also create new folders much more
> frequently
> than I switch views, and the same can be said about changing the
> arrangement of
> items.
>
> By your logic, we would have three new buttons for each view, a toggle
> "Show
> hidden files" button, perhaps a menu for changing the sorting order of
> items and
> a create new folder button in the toolbar, or elsewhere not in the menu.
>
> The result would be a beautifully cluttered interface. You can't have
> everything, and you can't fully please everyone.
>
> Incidentally, all of the mentioned actions, except changing sorting order,
> have
> keyboard shortcuts for them, which are clearly indicated beside their
> entries in
> the menu. I really don't see a problem with the current solution.
>

The solution before the current solution was to have a toolbar with buttons
for common actions. Who said that the solution that was 'current'
previously had to change?

I'm not aware of anyone saying that all options should be available by a
toolbar. Just the common ones. One idea would be to allow a user to choose
what the buttons are available on the toolbar. Maybe have a default set
based on the common use cases for a browser.

And you haven't addressed the issue for accessibility. Not everyone is
adapt at multi-key pressing like you are. Do we just ignore people who have
poor dexterity so there can be an 'uncluttered' interface (which is a
subjective measure, I would have argued that the previous interface was
'uncluttered').

And please don't use reductio ad absurdum, I could equally say that based
on your logic all toolbars from all applications should be removed because
it will be 'uncluttered'. I would presume that would be equally absurd as
your claim that based on our logic all options should be on a toolbar.