Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 86851
Label Printing process needs work from a Useability standpoint
Last modified: 2013-02-07 22:39:01 UTC
The process of printing labels at present goes like this: 1) Start the new Label process assuming Database already in place. File>New >Labels Non intuitive placement of this. Mail Merge Wizard is in "Tools", logically, Labels should be here as well.  File menu is for documents, a label is not a document, it is a tool for dealing with Documents. One has to search for it instead of going to a logical location: Tools 2) "Previewing the Label Layout": The Labels dialog is not to bad up to the point of  "New Document". Clicking this brings up a new sheet that is a layout preview of the labels on the page, however the fact that it is a preview is not immediately obvious, the New Document button tells the user nothing about this page's function.  "New Document button" should instead be something like "Preview Label Layout" At this point the connection between User and Interface breaks down completely and the process is seriously broken.  First, there is no obvious next step. 3) "Printing the Labels": At this point the process the user is required to Print to file first AFTER a seemingly meaningless dialog about Form Letters. The logical response to the Form letters dialog is "No" because the user is printing Labels NOT Form Letters, clicking "No" however kills the process, the "correct" response is "Yes". Completely non-intuitive.  After "Yes" to formletters the user is now prompted to save as an ODT file by the "print to file" dialogue.  The User gives it a name and saves. Unfortunately we don't get to see this new file, all we see is the "check the layout page".  The User now has to go file > open and go to our just  saved print to file document and open it to reveal all our labels with Addressees.  4) And now we're ready to print. (The whole of the para 3 is a waste of time. The next logical step in the process should be simply "Preview Print") The unfortunate thing about this is that the labels process in OOo is REALLY quick IF you know what you're doing, but the whole thing from a useability perspective is extremely bad.  I'd forgotten how bad, until this was suddenly dropped on me at a client visit after probably over a year since I'd last worked with Labels. So it was brought home to me. How should it go? First to launch the process, assuming that the Database is already registered. Tools > Labels Labels Dialog remains as is "New Document" is changed for "Preview Layout" Page opens as at present except a floating button appears that has "Print preview" Clicking the "Print preview" changes the document and displays the document that would have been saved in the Print to File perhaps with another floating toolbar with a Save button and a Print Button. (Note: There is no need to save this as a document although that should be an option. The data remains in the Database file which will be updated and the next time the User prints a label run it will in all likeliehood be changed. Having said that the User should have the option to save for when the Label list is to be reused)
Change issue type to enhancement. Reassigned to requirements.