unity-design team mailing list archive

[Adrian Maier <syraxes@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, Feb 26, 2012 at 08:22, Josh Strawbridge
<holyknightjoshua@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> the dash and apps lens do allow you to browse your applications it's just
> not near as streamlined as the old menus or the dash search is and because
> of that the general experience of browsing applications in the dash for a
> number of users falls short of the experience they had with the old menus.
> i think the biggest problem that people who miss the old menus really have
> isn't so much the number of clicks. i think the real problem lies with the
> much more complex motions you have to use as opposed to the simple ones the
> old menus allowed.
>
> here's a sketch of what i mean. http://ubuntuone.com/4Yfzjw60XVrAJLAkQOjCOI
>
> in the "worst case" scenario the user has to click to show the
> filters/categories and the "show more results" option resulting in a lot of
> jumping around with the mouse as opposed to the relatively simple motion
> those users got with the old menus.
> in the best case, when the filters are already shown and you don't have to
> "show more results," you still end up with a extra movement and having to
> move back into space that you've already passed over.
> using a quicklist shortcut to the apps lens will cut out a large chunk of
> the extra movement but you're still left having to go back towards where you
> just passed over.
>
> there are users, like myself, who hide their filters again for various
> reasons and will almost never get the best case experience when browsing.
>
> so how can browsing applications in the dash be made a
> more pleasant experience?
> i think all it would take is some rearrangement of what's already in the
> dash lens.
> something like this should work
> nicely. http://ubuntuone.com/5U4p7G03mR5PPsyLOe507I
>
> moving the lens buttons to the left side puts them close to the dash button
> and makes them much quicker and easier to get to. it should actually put
> them somewhat close to being as easily used with the mouse as the quicklist.
> the filters/categories are placed just to the right of that since if someone
> is browsing instead of searching that is likely to be the first thing used
> in the apps lens.
> then the applications are show to the right of that.
> this arrangement leaves the mouse movement flowing from left to right
> through the various areas of the dash>apps lens in the same order that the
> user is likely to need them when browsing their applications.
>
> it may not be a perfect solution to the browsing problems in the dash and it
> doesn't fix every issue in the apps lens but i'm sure it would make it a
> much more pleasant browsing experience than what we have now.
> please note that this would have very little effect on users who search
> their way through the dash as this wouldn't replace that functionality. it
> should just improve mouse use in the dash.

Josh,

I like what you are saying .


-- 
Adrian