Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 114320
The UI is deliberately made a keepsake from the display stone age
Last modified: 2013-07-30 02:38:37 UTC
Hardly anybody uses a 4:3 display anymore, but neither is the UI adapted to that fact as a standard, nor is it customizable in a prudent way. ALL toolbars are to be adapted to vertical alignment, their layout is to be adapted, so that they can be box shaped (several rows and collumns) and STILL dockable. And that is, after all those comatose years, to happen NOW!
Feel free to make a new UI specification, to lead discussions on ux-channels, to achieve the concept, to gather developers or submit yourself a patch. And do it right NOW!
Join the User Experience project: http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/User_Experience Discuss your ideas and make things happen.
Alright. I'll prepare something. I apologize for my earlier tone and I am going to find out how much of my frustration-energy can flow into a UI prototype.
Created attachment 71701 [details] Widescreen UI, normal view
Created attachment 71702 [details] Widescreen UI, expanded view
Created attachment 71705 [details] Status display partly switching sides
Created attachment 71706 [details] Hide and show toolbox description and menu
I uploaded some pictures, unrefined but already showing the general idea of how screen space could be used more efficiently in Writer. I wanted to update this issue before adding something to the User Experience project. Some status info and the horizontal ruler would switch sides when appropriate, the additional elements in the "expanded view" would show up if needed (clicked on a button/into a text field/into a form/created a new form). Especially the form toolbox is "optimized" to fit to the standard A4 page formatting, which could pose a little problem in case of deviations from that standard. Then again, the form box can be dragged around the screen, or it could switch sides like the status display and ruler, depending on the page you click on.
I forgot to mention the idea to replace the "Text Object" toolbox completely by the "Formatting" tollbox. It is generally a good idea to encourage people to use proper formatting. For those who cannot or will not make use of formatting (or do not know what can be done with it), the new setting "Without" or "N/A" (or something in that manner) should complement "Default" and be the standard instead. That way beginners could still work "beginner style".
Hi nevermore4ever, thanks for the proposals! Sorry for being a bit silent, but I am still moving, so time is quite limited at the moment. So I hope to provide at least some initial thoughts... Your proposal improves screen size, but it seems to affect the (standardized) grouping of UI elements. This will have an effect on the efficiency of the user. Furthermore, some UI elements are scaled down (e.g. find bar). And it seems, that some elements will constantly change its position; the zoom slider in the ruler (as far as I understand the proposal). What I like (for example) is, that the line spacing is provided in a vertical stack - like the setting effects the text. To avoid lengthly discussions in the issue tracker: I propose that you join the UX list (see comment from ufi) to present / discuss your work. Furthermore, please have a look at the following page - there has been and idea collection with plenty of ideas and comments (pros and cons): http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Renaissance/Design_Proposals_for_“Accessing_Functionality” By the way, there is some work going on to improve the side panes that will finally be able (at least it is planned) to cover any kind of UI element. Cheers, Christoph
Hi christophnoack, I cannot find much time myself at the moment. So I'll start with some explanations; new ideas and me joining the UX list will come afterwards when I have a few more pictures ready. I compromised the standardized grouping in favor of screen space, although I also added many symbols which aren't shown at all in the standard setting. That is because I tried to fit everything (except the group dividers) into the available space, so that space would not run out so easily if a user wanted to show just some additional symbols. All those non-standard symbols don't have to be shown, they can stay non-standard; another idea how to save space is comming soon. The find bar would only be scaled down as long as it is not active. If you click or write into the tiny text field, the field would be extended like in the image titled "Expanded". Some elements would have exactly two different positions. Currently if two pages are shown side by side, only the ruler of the page the cursor is in shows up - you click on the other page, the ruler changes position (or two rulers change between visible and invisible). I would fill the space of the respective invisible ruler with some of the status info, like the zoom rate - that info is always where the ruler is not. :) The placement of the zoom element for instance could be such, that it is "always on the upper right of one of the pages" (as shown in my examples) or that the line between two pages is like a mirror axis, so the zoom element would be "always next to the middle" and the language selection could be "always a bit away from the middle". That must suffice for now, read you soon on the UX list, nevermore4ever
Reset assignee on issues not touched by assignee in more than 1000 days.