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diff --git a/karbon/usablity-review.txt b/karbon/usablity-review.txt new file mode 100644 index 00000000..5d2eb8b4 --- /dev/null +++ b/karbon/usablity-review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,216 @@ +Since I think the following link is closely related, I am including it here : + +http://dan.ostrowski.cc/suggestions.html + +Rob Buis <[email protected]> +17-12-2003 + + +On 27-sept 2003 I did a usabiltiy review of karbon. +This is during the feature and message freeze of KOffice (pending the 1.3 +release) so many of these issues will probably have to wait. Hence this +document in CVS. + +Issues are written down, and if possible to do without a ui file, a proposal +is made. +Naturally this file does not cover each part; items will be added by me when +feedback seems positive and time permits. + +Please remove this file (or individual points from this file) when all stuff +has been done/fiexed (which I hope is fast :) + +Thomas Zander <[email protected]> + + + +Starting up I notice that the toolbars are not persistent; the 'Tools' bar +was left floating by me last time, now its docked at the top again. +Since that makes the whole top-line of bars quite large I do think that +the tools bar has to go to the left by default. And the toolbars should +be persistent naturally. + +Toolbar 'Tools' +=============== +The toolbar is used to select the main tools by clicking on buttons (more +radio buttons actually; since you keep it selected when you click it). +To select extra options you click on the icon again, which brings up an +options window. +bug: the options window of the 'select tool' (top left) has a title 'insert star'. + +First problem I see is that it is hard to see which tool is currently selected, +while this might be a problem in the style (KDE3.2 default) there is another +problem that makes this problem really a problem instead of just an annoyance. +It is not obvious that clicking on an already clicked item brings up a dialog, +it is annoying to get that dialog if you just clicked the item to make sure +you clicked it. +Another bug makes it even worse; the '14' icon is clickable but does not notify +the software that the formerly selected tool is not selected anymore. Selecting +the formerly selected tool again brings up the options dialog again. + +I suggest to move the options dialog to a dockable toolbar which is brought to +front, or simply displayed when dubble clicked. Notice that dubble clicking is +different from the click twice action that happens now. + +Suggestion2: +Add keyboard shortcuts to the buttons and show them in the tooltips. The keys +should be single key (no modifier) shortcuts. +Suggestion3: +Add a new tool called a 'line' which creates a single non-closed line (and no +options to make it curved) and put that in the place of the annoying '14'. +Suggestion4: +Make 'ESC' select the 'Select tool' + + + +Tool: Select tool +================= +With the select tool you can select elements like individual starts or groups. +The way it currently works is that it takes the click and selects the first +object that it falls into based on the algoritm of the complete square that +contains the top left to the bottom right coordinate. +selection can only be done via a square and all objects that have a presence +in that square are selected. +The problems I found are; + +When you have multiple objects you tend to select the wrong one. +It is impossible to add or subtract objects from the current selection. +It is impossible to select 3 objects from a four-in-a-row where the +unselects is not one of the outside objects. +It is impossible to select an object that is completely inside another. + +A perfect solution would: +* make the 'hit area' based more on the outside of the shape. +A line should not be selected when clicked more then pixels next to it. +Text should be selected when clicked in the white area of a 'D' + +* Select extra objects when CTRL is used to select them. +* Select extra objects that occupy the same spot (behind each other) +when pressing CTRL and ALT +* Select an object that is 1 layer deeper (behind the currently selected one) +and unselect the current one by clicking CTRL and SHIFT. + +* An extra selection tool would be able to draw freehand on screen and all +stuff inside that freehand selection would be selected. + +* When noting is selected and I point and drag an object (using the modifiers +from above) directly drag that object. + +* Using 'shift' while dragging for a position for the text snaps the angle to +an angle mod(45) i.e. 0,45,90,... + +Notice that the selection options proposed are taken from KWord. + +Tool: Select Nodes Tool +======================= +The goal is to select and modify individual nodes. +With the current approuch you have to select an individual node by dragging a +selection over it for the object you want to modify to show all of its nodes. +Following that you can find the node you want to edit and select that one, +again dragging a selection box over that node. + +With the current approuch it is not possible to; +quickly find out which nodes exist on an object; on objects that don't have +many nodes you quickly miss the nodes. On top of that alternative +applications allow the user to select a line with a single click. That user +will take a number of tries to find a node to select and will probably not +learn this approuch for quite some time. +Selecting a node before you can edit it is also counter intuitive; I found +myself clicking and dragging a node some times, only to see another node moving +that I had selected before. + +I suggest: +* Allow the user to select an object (to show all of its nodes) by clicking on +a line; of the object. +* If one (or more) objects were selected when the select nodes tool is invoked +make those objects selected directly and draw all their nodes. Possibly using +an algoritm to not draw 'hidden' nodes. Hidden means ones that lie underneath +other objects. +* When a click is made missing all objects; don't unselect the object (thus +removing node previews) + +* When a node itself is clicked on a selected object, select that one. +* When a node itself is clicked and dragged on a selected object, drag that one. +* Use the node selection algoritm that are the same as the object selection +algorithm described above. +* Allow a node to gain a knot when ctrl is used to drag it +* Using 'shift' while dragging for a position for the text snaps the angle to +an angle mod(45) i.e. 0,45,90,... + + + +Tool: Rotate +============ + +I don't get this one; there is a center 'dot' painted that stuff moves around, +but that dot also moves when I rotate. That should not be possible... +I also did not find a way to set the center point.. + + +Tool: Shear Tool +=============== +Is this suppost to actually do something? + + +Tool: Text tool +=============== +After I found out I could click twice, I understood it a bit more; but this one +is still largely a mystory to me.. + +I suggest: +* Single click makes a horizontal text entry; drawing a horizontal line in +light blue (for example). +* Using 'shift' while dragging for a position for the text snaps the angle to +an angle mod(45) i.e. 0,45,90,... +* Popup a dialog, or allow in line editing as soon as a position is determined +by the click or drag +* Put a default text in the dialog when the application starts up so the first +drag shows that text. + + +Tool: Pattern tool +================== +As soon as I find out what it does.. + + +Tool: Zoom +============== +Please use 'alt' to zoom out again... + + +Colors (in tools toolbar) +======================== +Currently you have to double click to get the color dialog. Make that use the +KDE double click policy. +The 'Stroke' tab is inacurately named since it also contains info on gradients. +I suggest renaming it to 'Outline' + +Overview dock; +============== +it should be possible to make that tool larger, and it should really start larger by +default. + +Layers: +Put tooltips on +- the checkbox by a layer (what is it for anyway) +- The lock column (or each lock if you can't do it per column) +- The visible column. +Don't blank the preview of the object when it is set to non visible; make it +grayed out. + +This looks really unfinished right now so I won't go into this and trample +someones unfinished work. + + + +General content area +==================== +There are keyboard navigation features added that are not quite the same as +what artists from other packages are expecting. +- Add 'del' to delete an object +- allow 'SHIFT' arrow to move the item 1/4th of te distance. +- Allow shift dragging to drag an item across a 45 degrees line. So only +horizontally, vertically and the 45 and 135 degrees axis. +- Allow shift scaling to keep aspect ratio. +- Allow ctrl scaling to scale around the center instead of against the +other edge + |