unity-design team mailing list archive

[Petko <pditchev@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 02/08/2012 03:40 PM, Mark Shuttleworth wrote:
> You didn't answer the question. The total number of options will stay 
> the same or decrease. Which TWO options do you propose to remove, 
> since in your view they are less important than the option to have a 
> window-dodging launcher?
The thing is I think the question is flawed . For me the optimum (for 
this option) is three (taking into account all the user psychology 
stuff) . (and if I really have to choose it would be your choice ,but I 
don't think that matters)

> Every option requires energy to parse. And the worst options are those 
> which change something invisible. Imagine a user who starts Ubuntu, 
> right clicks on the desktop to change the wallpaper, and while poking 
> around, picks the 'dodging launcher' option.
>
> Nothing changes. The launcher doesn't move.
>
> Only later, when they maximise a totally different window, does their 
> launcher suddenly disappear.
 I see what you mean , but I just don't think that the current problem 
can generate such a situation in the real world (more than one in ,say, 
20 000) . I would just put it to the test , because as I said in my 
previous mail , I don't think we can science out this particular 
situation . On the next test wave (I don't remember how you formulated 
the testing process) just make the users try out customizing their 
system ( as you probably do) with the three step option in behaviour . Say :

*Launcher behaviour *: O always visible
                                      O  auto hide
                                      O dodge windows

One more thing (I should have thought of earlier) - if you expose a user 
to auto-hide and expect him to know how to make the launcher show up , 
I'd say the same user would know what to try out when the launcher 
disappears in "dodge windows" mode .

Petko