Better default toolbar setting

[Iñaki]

El Sábado, 2 de Septiembre de 2006 19:16, Stefan Monov escribió:
> > Is it so ugly?
>
> Ugliness is a subjective thing, but some of it's principles are more or
> less consistently applicable. In UI design, those include:
> 1. The spacing and sizing in a series of homogenous items (such as
> toolbuttons) is prettier when constant.

Yes, I agree. Anyway if the text is below the icon the icon width could be 
constant.


> 2. Images are prettier then text
> [disclaimer: I just made up these.]
> Your proposal fails both.

But if the icon appear alone they should be very very explanatory, and not 
always they are so.


> If you are still unconvinced, add text labels to the toolbuttons in
> Konqueror for a New Experience, state it in the changelog and see the
> reaction of the public.

Yes, but in Konqueror for a New Experience I added text into all the icons of 
the specific toolbar (not in the general navigation toolbar).
I think that the buttons of "back", "reload" and so of a web browser don't 
need text because the user uses them a lot and are very intuitive, but for 
example: what a star icon is? in KDE it's the bookmarks, but who understand 
it the first time he run a KDE app?



> > In an app with few icons in the toolbar there is enough space for the
> > icons labels, so, why not to use it?
>
> As I said, it'd look ugly.
> To partially make up for the wasted space, increase the size of icons.

Yes, I agree. But by default KDE apps show a very small icons. Two solutions 
(IMHO):
 a) Show label below/near the icons.
 b) Show bigger icons (so visually most explanatory).


> > this is not a text processor "format"
> > icons, where everybody understant the meaning of a bold or italic "A"
> > icon, this is a download manager program and not all the people is so
> > used to it.
>
> I associate a red X with deletion more easily than a bold A with emphasis.

I think you prefer Vi    ;)


> > A good icon + label is more explanatory than just a good icon, isn't it?
>
> No.
> We can reasonably expect that the user has been exposed to a hardware music
> player device before. These commonly signify "stop" by a square. Therefore
> a square is always interpreted as "stop", especially when it's a red one
> (red denotes "stop" in a variety of applications). Same goes for the other
> icons.

Ok, you are right. But what you say just occur with some icons, and most of 
KDE apps show too much icons.


> Sorry for my bad English. Your feedback is valuable.

Sorry for MY very bad English  ;)


Regards.


-- 
Iñaki