Subject: Re: AbiWord Interface Review
From: Nils Barth (nils_barth@post.harvard.edu)
Date: Thu Aug 09 2001 - 11:34:16 CDT
On 2001-08-09-02:53, Jared Davis wrote:
> The file is a 40-page review of AbiWord's interface, and makes over 60
> suggestions for changes. I hope you enjoy it. Agreement, disagreement,
> discussion, feedback, comments, rants, and so forth are welcome.
Comments: (I also have a soft spot of UI design)
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1.1.1: Icons in menus
Icons in menus are a good idea, for the reasons you state (+ eye
candy). We have them in the GNOME build at least, and the should be
added to the Windows build.
Currently AbiWord's icons are GNOME-ish; since we're making everything
else platform-based (widgets, etc.), we should probably use
Windows-standard icons on Windows. However, this makes it a little
less cross-platform/makes appearance platform dependent, so this is
debatable.
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1.1.2: File menu
.1: recent files list: your suggestion for tooltips for long filenames
seems good; one question is how to shorten filenames; I'd suggest at
least retaining the first and last directories, e.g.:
C:\Documents and Settings\...\My Documents\Abi_UI.zabw
.2: Having `Exit' is not an MDI throwback -- it's due to an
application-centric paradigm, as opposed to document-centric.
(nit-picking, I know...)
This is a great topic for a flame-fest, but note that web browsers
generally open different windows for each web page but still have an
`Exit' function. Similarly, even old Macs had an `Exit' function, and
it's very familiar for users.
.5: Import/Export may bring up the same dialog boxes as Open/Save As...
but the behaviour is different, and in my opinion often superior:
Import/Export copy the document data:
If you Import a document zork.txt, you get a new untitled document with the
contents of zork.txt. In particular if you change it and save it, you
won't overwrite zork.txt.
If you are working on zork.abw and Export to zork.txt, this will save
a copy in zork.txt, but you will keep working on zork.abw.
I think Export's behaviour is SUPERIOR to Save As..., since I've often
been working on a document, `Save As...''d a different format, and
not realized that I am now working on the different format.
However, `Save As...' should be retained for compatibility with Word.
Thus, I dearly with to keep at least `Export...', and probably
`Import...'; however, these are new features for users, and bear some
explaination -- I would suggest changing the names to:
`Export Copy...', `Import Copy...' to make it clear that the content
is being copied.
Also, the dialog boxes that pop up for Import Copy/Export Copy should
NOT be called `Open File'/`Save As', since the behaviour is
different!!!
Also, we should have nice fat `Help' buttons in these dialogues, and
the target page should explain the difference between
`Save As...' and `Export Copy...'
(e.g., `Save As...' saves the current document in a different format,
and when you resume editting, you will be editing the new format. If
you wish to save the current document in a different format but keep
editing the original document, use `Export Copy...'.)
.7: Agreed. Properties is good, and serves as a place to keep/edit
meta-information about the document.
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1.1.3: Edit menu
.1: Clear -- you're right, this is a useless option.
.2: Paste Special -- agreed, awful name. If I recall, Paste Special
brings up a dialog when inserting objects, esp. from a different
application (say, Excel spreadsheet paste -- you can paste it as a
table or an embedded Excel object).
When inserting weird objects for which Word wants `Paste
Special...' (i.e., for which there is some question about what you
want to do in pasting), AbiWord's `Paste' should pop up a dialog,
and if people want the non-`Special' pasting, they can choose
`Paste Unformatted'
.7: Yeah, Word's behaviour is nice -- we should do this.
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1.1.4: View menu
.1: Urk...good point. Maybe call it `Standard Layout'?
Though correct that for now we shouldn't have it since it's a No-op.
.2: Nice idea!
.6: On GNOME, you can actually turn off/remove the status bar;
this should be implemented on Windows.
If this is not possible/practical on Windows, then the option
should be removed.
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1.1.5: Insert menu
.1: `Break...' agreed -- a submenu would be great.
.2: Date and time... This is hard, and bears more discussion.
I'd like to be able to specify arbitrary formatting, as in the
GNU/Unix `date' command. Also, turn off leading zeros. Also, I'd
like to be able to write `August 9th' or whatever. But we don't
want to be overwhelming -- this is tough.
.4: Rationale: maybe this is to help people with writer's block (how
should I end this letter?). However, this function is better
served by templates
.5: On GNOME we have `Clip Art...' too, so it makes sense there.
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1.1.6: Format menu
.8: Yeah, this is a nice feature but horribly implemented in Word (a
text box???) -- when we implement it, we should Do It Right.
.10/.13: Having font options directly in the menu made sense on early
Macs, when you had few options; now they should be relegated to a
submenu, and people should use keyboard shortcuts/toolbars.
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1.1.7: Tools menu
.1: Agree completely.
.2: Careful not to clutter the submenu -- consider 3 options:
Check Spelling...
Spelling Options...
Auto Spellcheck (checkbox)
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1.1.8: Windows menu
.1: Okay, this is definitely an MDI holdover, and should be axed.
.2: Yeah, put the `New Window' option under the `View' menu
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1.1.9: Web menu
These should be put in the `File' menu, as suggested.
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1.1.10: Help menu
My comment: the `Check version' webpage:
http://www.abisource.com/users/check_version.phtml
needs to be updated.
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1.3.1: Find dialog
Agreed. Also, fancy regex stuff would be nice, sometime, though not
a high priority.
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1.3.2: Insert symbol dialog
Agreed.
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1.3.4: Page numbering dialog
Strongly agreed -- your mock-up with radio buttons is gorgeous.
Note that sometime we should support double-sided printing, in which
case we'd want page numbers to be `outside/inside' instead of
`right/left'.
Also, a `display number on first page' checkbox would be good.
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1.3.5: Format Font dialog
Agreed, esp. with 1,2,6 -- having a menu for italic/bold is horrible UI.
Thanks SO much for doing this -- many of these would be easy changes
that would dramatically improve AbiWord's UI, and the not-so-easy
changes are also very worthwhile.
-- -pookie
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