Widget Explorer usability problems

[Marco Martin]

On Monday 11 January 2010, Sean wrote:
> 2010/1/11 Aaron J. Seigo <aseigo at kde.org>
> 
> > On January 11, 2010, Sean wrote:
> > > The click and hold idea doesn't solve the issue, which is; You
> > > shouldn't put too many categories in the filter UI. (Usability).
> > > Something like, Most used, Favourites, running. Why not mirror the
> > > Kickoff and use terms the user knows or let the search box filter the
> > > widgets as it does now?
> > 
> > because they don't know the categories, and showing ALL the widgets
> > without a
> > way to narrow them down is even worse. a possible solution would be a
> > combobox
> > showing the categories, but then we're back to a popup which some were
> > trying
> > to avoid in the first place. it would also mean syncronizing the tab
> > widget with a combobox if the tab widget was kept.
> > 
> > > Not being able to remove widgets from the desktop via the UI makes it
> > 
> > look
> > 
> > > like some watered down place.
> > 
> > the point is to add widgets, not remove widgets that are running. we had
> > bug
> > reports about this, in fact, where people would accidently remove
> > widgets. it
> > is the *Add* Widgets interface after all.
> > 
> > > Do you expect users to edit their plasma
> > > config just to remove widgets that cannot be removed via the normal
> > > way?(yes it happens)
> > 
> > can you give me the steps to reproduce, please? because it shouldn't
> > happen.
> > that would be a bug. papering over one bug by diminishing other UI
> > elements isn't the best of solutions.
> > 
> > > It doesn't seem logical that you can add a widget and
> > > see it running but not remove it from the same UI.
> > 
> > think about multiple instances of the same widget. it should become
> > evident why it isn't done.
> > 
> > > I think the running widgets should be showed via a small green
> > > glow underneath the widget running(green usually means on, go,
> > > working).
> > 
> > a mock up of this would be nice; it could work well, i think. may be
> > "interesting" to code, but that hasn't stopped us quite yet ;)
> > 
> > > Why not use the same idea and make it a small button, green for on like
> > > a switch(the green glow would disappear when you click it and it
> > > removes
> > 
> > the
> > 
> > > widget).
> > 
> > multiple widgets of the same type. or do you only want one folder view?
> 
>  What about when using ZUI or more than one desktop? Why should the user
> have to go to every desktop and close running widgets, when they can just
> close them from the widget explorer?
> 
> Use case: I want to remove my clock and RSS widgets. Which desktop were
> they on?(I have 6) Now I have to go and find them on each desktop just to
> remove them.

pretty rare use case wanting to remove exactly all widgets of one type and 
only those, it would be an easily reachable function as dangerous and as 
"useful" as rm -fr /, really

> Well, I did try and illustrate in my mockup how to get
> around multiple running widgets. Maybe green glowing buttons under the
> widget showing how many are running and a mouse over shows the widget? It's
> not an easy thing to solve.
> 
> 
> LOL, Well maybe we should have a remove widgets interface then? :p
there is one, and are the widget themselves, there is really no point creating 
new chrome used to do something that is already perfectly feasible

-- 
Marco Martin