Difference between revisions of "User Experience/StartCenter"
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| − | | | + | | Fancy Progressbar |
| − | | | + | | [[Image:StartCenter Idea ProgressBar Flare.png|375px]] |
| − | | | + | | If the StartCenter would be merged with the Splash Screen, then some people might fall in love with a more fancy progress bar. Flare effects and some slight animation might help to raise the enjoyment factor (animation: color changes of star, rotation, ...). |
| + | Please note: | ||
| + | * It would be even cooler if OpenOffice.org would start up lightning fast and therefore would not require to show a progress bar. | ||
| + | * The StartCenter window is just an example. Neither color, size, shape, ... nor background belong to that proposal. | ||
| + | * The picture was drawn by myself, which means that the idea may be better than my artistic skills ;-) | ||
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Revision as of 19:57, 9 June 2008
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Contents
Introduction
Rationale
OpenOffice.org is separated into single applications like Writer, Calc, Draw and Impress, which could be started directly from the operating system start panel. If the OpenOffice.org executable is started directly OOo shows the start module, always shown if no document is loaded. The start module has no value for the user on start-up, but keeps OOo loaded if the last document has been closed and a new one is generated. The plain start module makes it difficult start OOo from a link on the desktop to gain visibility or on the Macintosh platform.
So a new StartCenter is needed to welcome the user. The “welcome” implies that is very important for the experience of the user, because:
- ... it is the first element the user might see (besides the download and installation procedure).
- ... it is an essential part of OpenOffice.org's visual identity.
- ... it creates a first impression on the features and the usability of OpenOffice.org.
- ... it should encourage the new user to work with OpenOffice.org.
Development
The development of the new StartCenter has begun and is open for community discussion. A first version of it will be part of OpenOffice.org 3.0. After that, this start center could be further extended from version to version. New ideas can be added in section Collection of Ideas.
Terms and Definitions
The following graphics contains terms and definitions which might be helpful for the ongoing discussion.
A discussion has been started if another name but "StartCenter" may make more sense. You find it at ux-discuss Message 1295.
Issues
(Open issues list, tbd)
StartCenter for OpenOffice.org 3.0
This first step of the development, targeted for inclusion in OpenOffice.org 3.0, defines the integration into the operating system and a first welcome dialog within the former backing window.
- The specification for the StartCenter is located at the Specification Project.
- The development of the visual design has been documented on the pages of Visual Design.
- The StartCenter has been initially presented to the public at GullFOSS.
Discussion
Please note: The discussion has been started with the first version of the StartCenter (2008-02-19). Therefore not all of the given points may be valid at the moment.
What has been rated positively:
- The design appears very clear to the user.
- It welcomes the user “Say hello to iPo ... mmh ... OpenOffice.org” ;-)
What has been criticized so far:
- The spacing does not emphasize the functional representation of the elements.
- The "new from template" symbol is separated from the "new empty document" by the "open". Seems weird.
- The mouseover area is relatively small
- The three items in the lower right might need some explanation. People who use that window will probably need some extra guidance.
- There is no obvious way to get help (besides the main OOo start module).
- From the user's point of view it is not really required to show the product name and version number in such a prominent way.
Constraints
The following constraints apply for the StartCenter for OpenOffice.org 3.0:
- The StartCenter must provide entries for the following OpenOffice.org modules (if installed):
- Writer (Text Document)
- Calc (Spreadsheet)
- Impress (Presentation)
- Draw (Drawing)
- Base (Database)
- The StartCenter must provide actions/links to:
- OpenOffice.org Help
- OpenOffice.org User Survey (Registration)
- OpenOffice.org Extensions Website
- The visual design is not part of the discussion, unless there are usability concerns.
Known Design Issues
- In Impress, the “New Document” does not directly lead to an empty document instead it presents the the “Presentation Wizard”. This wizard does also provide to open an already available document.
- The “Template” button will open the window “Templates and Documents” which not correct.
- After creating or opening a document, the StartCenter disappears and the interaction with the user is done by the usual OpenOffice.org user interface elements.
StartCenter for future versions of OpenOffice.org
Collection of Ideas
The following list contains those ideas that could possibly useful for the user (alphabetical order). Please add your comments which may be helpful for the evaluation of the ideas.
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| Bug reporting | It seems that many people hazzle with the OpenOffice.org Issue Tracker (if they have finally managed to find it).
It would be nice to implement basic bug description capabilities, similar to the ones implemented in the Document Recover feature (Specification). |
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| Community content | Provide access to community content like OpenOffice.org extensions, document templates, graphics or video tutorials. | |
| Community information | Give information on current community events or new (e.g. RSS feeds for local activities). | |
| Content management systems | In the industry, content management systems are the preferred method to manage documents. Besides the file system integration, the StartCenter should provide extension capabilities to integrate with CMS. | |
| Document recovery | If OpenOffice.org has crashed, it usually saves the currently opened documents and provides “Document Recovery” after restarting the software.
(Example: After the crash of Calc, the user may not work on. The next day, he starts Writer and gets a request to decide on recovery. This blocks her/his intended workflow.) |
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| Merge with splash screen | The splash screen is a separate window and is displayed until the application has been loaded. There could be two approaches:
If the loading time could be reduced significantly, show the StartCenter as soon as possible without showing the splash screen. - or - If the loading time of OpenOffice.org could not be reduced, then merge the splash screen and the StartCenter (e.g. use the same window size, use some fading). |
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| PIM Integration | For OpenOffice.org 3.0 it is planned to provide PIM capabilities with Thunderbird an the extension Lightning. To improve the integration, the StartCenter could be provide basic information on mails, tasks and the schedule. | |
| Recent documents | For the StartCenter it is planned to create new documents or to open existing ones with the file selection dialog. Normally, users do work with a certain set of documents which could be implemented as recent or frequently used documents in the StartCenter.
Currently, access to recent documents is done in OpenOffice.org via the application “File” menu (Specification). |
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| Replace start module | Instead of showing the start module together with the StartCenter, the StartCenter could be extended to replace the start module completely.
Currently, the start module is the window that is shown if no special OpenOffice.org module is loaded (Specification). |
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| Template management | The document templates are currently managed at several places. The most important access to templates is given by the “Templates and Documents” window. This feature driven but non-charming window could be well integrated into the StartCenter.
Some time ago, there work has been started to improve the user experience. It seems that it has not been worked on for some time (Feature Templates). |
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| Update information | The StartCenter could provide information on online updates for the main product and extensions.
Currently, the user is informed about updates by a small icon in the upper right corner (Specification). |
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| User data | The StartCenter could be used to acquire the personal data for the user. This data is generally used to fill out templates automatically or state the author in the change tracking feature.
Currently, most users don't see the need to fill out this form, do not know that it exists or don't trust OpenOffice.org. The users could be encouraged to give their user data by using a “personal saluation” in the StartCenter. |
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| User survey (Registration) | The StartCenter could natively implement the user servery instead of providing it as a separate web page (User Survey).
In the current version of OpenOffice.org, the request for registration is prompted directly after installing the product (together with the licence agreement this harms the experience for the user). From that point, the registration option lives quiet in the help menu. |
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| What's new? | If an updated version is installed, the user may get a short introduction to new features. | |
| Lose the words 'Welcome to' | They may be appropriate on first use after installation, but after that it is wrong to welcome someone to THEIR installation on THEIR computer to edit THEIR documents. The simple statement of the product name and version is all that is needed. |
Mockups
| Name | Mockup | Details / Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Fancy Progressbar | 
|
If the StartCenter would be merged with the Splash Screen, then some people might fall in love with a more fancy progress bar. Flare effects and some slight animation might help to raise the enjoyment factor (animation: color changes of star, rotation, ...).
Please note:
|
How to continue?
At the moment, the “idea collection season” is open. So just add your brainstorming ideas on use cases, requirements, features and mockups. Then, those ideas should be evaluated in terms of “customer benefit”, “user types” and “effort”. After that we can finally start to design this feature and start implementing.
