task-oriented kickoff

[Michael Rudolph]

On Tuesday 04 March 2008 20:05:59 pinheiro wrote:
> A Tuesday 04 March 2008 16:22:55, Riccardo Iaconelli escreveu:
> > On 3/3/08, Michael Rudolph <michael.rudolph at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Hello everyone,
> > >
> > > while we're at the task of improving kickoff, I'd like to tell
> > > you my thoughts of what should be improved about kickoff and my
> > > ideas for how it could be done.
> > >
> > > Currently kickoff is an application launcher interface and thus,
> > > in my point of view, is putting the spotlight on the wrong items
> > > of our user interface.
> > >
> > > Instead of making kickoff be about applications, why not let
> > > tasks take center stage in the start-menu? After all, it's tasks
> > > that we really want to get done when we use a computer,
> > > applications are just the necessary means to do it with current
> > > technology.
> > >
> > > There is already a lot of interesting technology in place (since
> > > win95, in fact), so the transition from an app-centric user
> > > interface to a task-centric one could be evolutionary, rather
> > > than revolutionary, which is a good thing in my book.
> > >
> > > For starters we could put the recent documents tab up front. This
> > > is as good as it currently gets in terms of giving users access
> > > to their current tasks and projects. I'd also rename the tab to
> > > "current tasks".
> > >
> > > We could start to give better descriptions in applications'
> > > .desktop- files. So instead of having "Word Processing" in
> > > kword's file, we would put "Write a letter" or "Write a resumé"
> > > in there and launch kword with the appropriate "--template"
> > > option. (and of course use descriptions instead of application
> > > names in kickoff).
> > >
> > > This is of course just a first step, a very easy one though. I
> > > also have ideas for further steps, that, although lacking
> > > intimate knowledge of plasma's inner workings, I'd still call
> > > easy, too.
> > >
> > > But first I'd like to hear your comments. Are we on the same page
> > > with task-centric user interfaces? And would such a first step be
> > > feasible?
> > >
> > > michael
> >
> > Yes, and... that's the idea behind raptor, no? ;-)
>
> yep that is one of raptors main features TOM (task oriented menu)
> (its just one option)
>
> > -Riccardo

Hello everyone,

I only know raptor from descriptions and mockups on its website, I have 
not been following discussions on mailinglists or blogs.

From what I see on raptor-menu.org, I'd infer that indeed both ideas 
share superficial similarities, especially raptor's TOM catches the 
eye.

But to also share conceptual similarities raptor would need to adhere to 
its claim of task-orientation. As I understand it, currently raptor is 
still fully application-centric and is just using task-inspired 
category names instead of the wholly uninspired category names we have 
now.

Also the idea of using descriptions instead of application names is 
quite good, I'd say, but executed rather poorly, when judging only by 
the one mockup showing konqueror's description. Again it's totally 
application-centric, naming technical features of the application like 
konqueror's standard compliance. A human being is not interested in 
these things and it has got nothing to do with what the user wants to 
do. If we really wanted to make raptor task-oriented, we would need to 
be much more deliberate in our wording of descriptions.

Of course overthrowing an application-centric desktop is not an easy 
task and can hardly be done by one project alone, perhaps this is the 
reason why your current implementation is rather conservative and 
actually still quite application-centric. But creating one single 
application to upset application centrism on our desktops seems to me 
like a fruitless endeavour, anyway.

michael