KDE 3.4 Control Center UI Review

Waldo Bastian bastian at kde.org
Sun Feb 13 17:31:50 GMT 2005 

KDE 3.4 Control Center UI Review

Default size 800x600
Left pane 300 pixels wide, right pane 500 pixels wide
Keramik widget style

Executive summary & recommendations:
====================================

- With the current default size of 800x600, 49 modules out of a
total of 79 modules do not fit in the window. The splash screens,
even though recently refurbished do not properly fit in the window
either.

- The actual size required for a module depends on actual font settings,
translations and actual widget style used.

- The preview Monitor which is consistently used throughout various modules
needs some minor adjustments

- A solution needs to be found for rich-text labels because they break
minimum required size calculations. Although one could blame Qt for this,
it is a fundamental problem related to the "height for width"
character of free-flowing text. It can be solved by calculating the minimum
size based on a certain given available width. (KLabel?)

- KControl should use a somewhat larger default size if the available screen 
estate allows it. 

- Some modules need a serious and deepgoing UI redesign which will
not be feasible in time for KDE 3.4.

- A number of modules can be fixed with some minor changes

- A number of modules do have minimum size requirements that are not realistic
(e.g. > 1200 pixel width for Samba) these modules should be redesigned 
before 3.4 to get more reasonable size requirements.

Cheers,
Waldo

Keywords
======
HSIZE: Module does not fit in the available width that is available to it by 
default. Size needed is based on window size, which is 800 pixels wide by 
default, leaving 500 pixels for the module itself. So a required size of 850 
pixels means that the actual module itself requires 550 pixels.

VSIZE: Module does not fit in the available height that is available to it by 
default. Size needed is based on window size, which is 600 pixels high by 
default, leaving 520 pixels for the module itself. (80 pixels are used by 
window decoration, menubar and Apply/Reset button at bottom.) So a required 
size of 650 pixels means that the actual modules itself requires 570 pixels.

Control Center Review
=====================

Splashscreens in general:
- "KDE Control Center" text truncated.

- "Welcome to ..." text too close to KDE logo above it.

- Appearance & Themes: module descriptions truncated at "Style" VSIZE
- Internet & Network: module descriptions truncated at "Proxy" VSIZE
- Web Browser: module descriptions truncated at "Java & Javascript" VSIZE
- KDE Components: module descriptions truncated at "Session Manager" VSIZE
- Peripherals: module descriptions truncated at "Remote controls" VSIZE
- System Administration: module descriptions truncated at "Login Manager" 
VSIZE

- Phrasing inconsistent: "Change the background settings" versus "Font 
Settings"
versus "Customize KDE Icons", where is the added value?


Background
- HSIZE
- Preview Monitor has ugly border around background image before the border of
the monitor itself starts.

Colors
- horizontal size slightly too small, no H-scrollbar appears though, HSIZE

Screen Saver
- needs 865, HSIZE
- Preview Monitor ugly, see Background

Splash Screen
- Preview for Default theme not properly scaled to preview area

Style
- horizontal size slightly too small, needs 820, HSIZE

Theme Manager
- needs 925, HSIZE

Multiple Desktops
- horizontal size slightly too small, needs 810, HSIZE

Panels
- needs 1020, HSIZE
- needs 648, VSIZE
- Preview Monitor ugly, see Background

Window Behavior
- needs 897, HSIZE
- needs 766, VSIZE
- Size problems caused primarily by "Actions" tab

Bluetooth (might not have been up to date)
- Uses single sub-menu for no good reason
- Message box: "dcop error when calling services"

File Sharing
- too small vsize, needs 763, VSIZE
- no v-scrollbar, problems probably due to use
of rich-text labels which Qt fails to handle properly

Local Network Browsing
- Slightly too short, needs 610, VSIZE
- needs 939, HSIZE

Local Network Chat
- text truncated (no QLayout's used?)
- needs 978, HSIZE

MLDonkey
- annoying popup
- needs 947, HSIZE

Samba
- needs 1234!!!, HSIZE
- needs 752, VSIZE
- split out advanced tab to separate dialog window?

Cache (Web Browser)
- Slightly too small for no appearant reason, needs 820, VSIZE

Cookies (Web Browser)
- needs 651, VSIZE

Fonts (Web Browser)
- needs 841, HSIZE

History Sidebar (Web Browser)
- Why sidebar only?
- needs 900, HSIZE

Java & Javscript (Web Browser)
- needs 917, HSIZE
- needs 601/617, VSIZE

Plugins (Web Browser)
- needs 744, VSIZE

Style Sheets (Web Browser)
- needs 1046, HSIZE
- needs 677, VSIZE
- Suggest to change "Customize" from tab into separate dialog, eliminates 
tabs,
gets rids of awkward reference to other tab.

Web Behavior (Web Browser)
- needs 764, VSIZE

Web Shortcuts (Web Browser)
- needs 1260, VSIZE
- seems to be result of failed layout managent (due to scrollview?)

Component Chooser
- needs 988, HSIZE
- suggestion: remember last selected component

File Associations
- needs 894, HSIZE

File Manager
- Tab-bar overcrowded, needs 922, HSIZE
- needs 876, HSIZE

KDE Performance
- Slightly too small, needs 811, HSIZE

Vim Embedding (might not have been up to date)
- needs 1030, HSIZE

Display
- needs 888, HSIZE

Joystick
- annoying popup warning about no joystick
- slightly too small, needs 818, HSIZE

Mouse
- needs 931, HSIZE

Printers
- needs 947, HSIZE
- overall confusing UI

Remote Controls
- Annoying messagebox
- needs 933, HSIZE

Touch Pad
- Weird layout
- needs 873

Laptop Battery
- Tab-bar overcrowded, needs 1222, HSIZE
- needs 983, HSIZE
- needs 653, VSIZE
- vscrollbar doesn't appear at right time in "Battery" tab, probably due to 
use
of rich-text labels which Qt fails to handle properly

Accessibility
- needs 887, HSIZE
- slightly too small, needs 605, VSIZE

KHotKeys
- needs 1062, HSIZE
- needs 638, VSIZE
- overall confusing UI

Keyboard Layout
- needs 978, HSIZE
- needs 633, VSIZE
- horizontal layout management slightly out of whack, widgets truncated at 
small size

Keyboard Shortcuts
- needs 1096, HSIZE
- "Shortcut Schemes" tab is too complex and confusing (tab in tab)

Crypto
- needs 1011, HSIZE
- nees 608, VSIZE
- Tab-bar overcrowded, needs 1102, HSIZE

KDE Wallet
- needs 911, HSIZE

Audio CD's
- needs 1065, HSIZE
- needs 618, VSIZE
- vscrollbar doesn't appear at right time in "Names" tab, probably due to use
of rich-text labels which Qt fails to handle properly

Sound System
- needs 1103, HSIZE
- needs 672, VSIZE
- vscrollbar doesn't appear at right time in "General" tab, probably due to 
use
of rich-text labels which Qt fails to handle properly

System Notification
- needs 900, HSIZE
- needs 672, VSIZE
- "More Options" / "Fewer Options" not in line with standard for such 
fold-in/fold-out buttons, suggest to change to "Advanced Actions >>" cq.
"Advanced Actions <<"

Boot Manager
- slow to load
- needs 1017, HSIZE

Date & Time
- needs 872, HSIZE

Login Manager
- needs 1021, HSIZE
- needs 606, VSIZE
- Preview Monitor ugly, see Background

Sony Vaio Laptop
- Combine somehow with IBM Thinkpad laptop, or suppress because I don't have 
either
- needs 877, HSIZE


-- 
bastian at kde.org   |   Free Novell Linux Desktop 9 Evaluation Download
bastian at suse.com  |   http://www.novell.com/products/desktop/eval.html
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