unity-design team mailing list archive

[Jo-Erlend Schinstad <joerlend.schinstad@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 26. feb. 2012 11:35, Thorsten Wilms wrote:
> On 02/25/2012 10:03 PM, Jo-Erlend Schinstad wrote:
> > > Each added step reduces the likelihood that a user becomes aware and
> > > sure of the functionality and completes the task. Setting a "Filter"
> > > does not fit well into a browsing approach.
> >
> > Can you explain what? Is it the name "filter" you react to, or selecting
> > categories? Because you do that in Gnome menubar as well, when you
> > select Applications > Internet for instance.
>
> Yes, there's similarity in that you select Categories, be it as filter 
> or menu. You already mentioned one of the differences, but let me try 
> to make a complete list.

> What is different with using Filters in the Dash from using a menu 
> with sub-menus per category?
> - Initially, there is no category selected
> - Initially, categories are invisible
> - Category selection is not exclusive, but additive (though not in 11.10)
> - Category selection happens in a dedicated area, there is no 
> similarity in the representation of categories and items

So I proposed showing the categories by default, and remembering the 
state until the user changed the view. That has nothing to do with any 
concepts. It's just an extremely small aspect. Categories are set to 
multi-select on left-click, which I consider to be a bug since no other 
software in Ubuntu works that way. Again, not a conceptual thing at all. 
Why is it important that the categories share screen space with the 
items? That isn't easy to understand. I would think you'd like to have a 
visual reminder of what category you're displaying.

> > If you don't know what you're looking for, then you should use the 
> > Ubuntu
> > Software Center.
>
> For finding and starting an application, the Software Center is not 
> well suited. It's startup time makes it seem ridiculous, when compared 
> to the application menu we had.

Remember the premiss that you have absolutely no idea what applications 
exist. You're browsing for available software now. You're not trying to 
launch something specific. If you were searching for something specific, 
you would obviously know what it was. The question is whether you would 
like page of information about the application, or if you'd like a five 
word summary. I don't think Windows 95-style menus are a good 
replacement for software centers as a way to browse available software.


--
Jo-Erlend Schinstad