Research on the Memory game

[John Layt]

On Thursday 25 Aug 2011 19:53:04 Anne-Marie Mahfouf wrote:
> On Thu August 25 2011 18:58:55 John Layt wrote:
> > I like the ui maximising the usable space, widescreens are standard these
> > days.  The items/text in the layout sections should rotate, but the
> > sections themselves can stay in their relative positions.
> > 
> > Blinken and Kanagram are good examples to follow, everything needed in
> > the main window and able to be directly manipulated.  Just a shame the
> > virtual keyboard covers the Kanagram text entry box.
> 
> Yes the On Screen Keyboard is not convenient for inputing letters in kids
> apps. For Kanagram as the input letters are those of the word they could be
> like icons and the user will slide them to form the word (not sure I
> explain this well..) For KHangMan and KLettres it's more tricky.

For KHangman and KLettres I think a shared ui would be good, with a 'virtual 
keyboard' included in the main window at bottom left (or perhaps as an 
overlay).  It would be a set of buttons laid out the same as the users 
keyboard but with only the required chars.  If the user presses a letter on a 
real keyboard the virtual keyboard will display the press.  For KLettres this 
would just work like a normal keyboard with the keys depressing and releasing.  
For KHangman once a letter button is pressed it cannot be pressed again, if 
the letter is not in the word the key goes 'dull' but if it is in the word it 
goes 'bright'.  This would mean the misses and letter entry parts of the 
current gui are not needed.  Above the keyboard would be the Letter / Word 
display and to the right the Teddy Bear / Gallows.

I like the dragging of letters in KAnagram and it could be made to work 
consistently with the keyboard as well by having a keypress cause the first 
matching tile to 'slide' into the next available position.  'Shadows' of the 
letter tiles could stay in their original position so teh user can still see 
the original sequence.  Or it could also use the same virtual keyboard layout 
as KHangman/KLettres for consistency.

While already fairly similar, all three would benefit from being more 
consistent with layout and using the same visual representation and method for 
performing the same actions, i.e. choosing the theme or category or level, 
getting a hint, or quitting.

Menus we know won't really be available in Active, and are not great for small 
children anyway.  Combo-boxes in the toolbar are also somewhat fiddly to use 
with touch.  Simple buttons in the toolbar work fine, but I'm not sure they 
will always be displayed?.  Simple actions (New, Hint, Quit) coupld go in teh 
toobar or in teh main window, but more complex interaction needs to go in the 
main window.  I'm sure QML will allow for some better selectors.

Cheers!

John.