| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1740.1 | What does salt have to do with it? ;^) | TOOK::MCPHERSON | i'm only 5 foot one... | Wed Oct 30 1991 09:51 | 3 |
| "Enable/Disable salience" --> "Enable/Disable Blinkity-Beepy Stuff"
"Historical Map" ---> "Snapshot Map"
|
| 1740.2 | | BSYBEE::EGOLF | John C. Egolf LKG2-2/T02 x226-7874 | Wed Oct 30 1991 10:09 | 4 |
| The ""Historical Map" should be changed to "Map Snapshot".
Steve, talk with John harrison about this, its already been
decided.
|
| 1740.3 | Salience == Signaling?? | ENUF::GASSMAN | | Thu Oct 31 1991 16:10 | 6 |
| Salience doesn't cut it with me - sounds to abstract. How about
calling the concept "Signaling". One would "enable signaling" when
wanting map status to change.
bill
|
| 1740.4 | try running some MAC & MS windows applications | NANOVX::ROBERTS | Keith Roberts - DECmcc Toolkit Team | Fri Nov 01 1991 07:52 | 21 |
| FWIW
"A picture says a 1000 words"
If you've run any applications on the MAC or MS Windows, you'll see that
the easier programs to learn, don't use a lot of words - they use push
button icons (pictures). This is not to say words should go away all
together - they can't - But we need a more intuitive user interface.
To enable 'Salience' - there might be a button with an Icon inside with
little lines going out in all directions (indicating illumination). If
you click on the button (ie, push it in), the circle-and-slash would appear
over the icon; icon notification is disabled.
-------
With that over - Today on DECmcc you could use "Icon Notification" to
describe that the Icon will change if something happens.
/keith
|
| 1740.5 | Iconic Map <> Iconic Interface | TOOK::GUERTIN | Don't fight fire with flames | Fri Nov 01 1991 11:25 | 5 |
| Keith, we do not have an iconic interface. Just an iconic map. The
ultimate goal should be to have an iconic interface. No typing (well
virtually no typing), just clicking, dragging, stretching, etc.
-Matt.
|
| 1740.6 | thank you | NANOVX::ROBERTS | Keith Roberts - DECmcc Toolkit Team | Fri Nov 01 1991 13:11 | 4 |
| >> Keith, we do not have an iconic interface.
Yup - I knew that - just checking 8)
|
| 1740.7 | I wouldn't iconify verbs | BLUMON::SYLOR | Architect = Buzzword Generator | Wed Nov 06 1991 18:24 | 12 |
| I would avoid trying to replace "verbs" with icons. If you've ever been
fortunate enough to try and use a product called "DECgraph", you'll
understand what I mean. English words in pull down/pop up/shove left menus
work lots better.
I'd strongly suggest anyone working on an iconic (or any other) user
interface or PM take all the classes you can on human factors. Check out
Harry Hersch and Dick Rubensteins book, and dig out copies of the
Human Engineering handbook (if any still exist).
Designing a "good" user interface is hard work. What developers (and architects)
like doesn't match what customers like ***and use***.
|
| 1740.8 | Good points Mark .. | NANOVX::ROBERTS | Keith Roberts - DECmcc Toolkit Team | Fri Nov 08 1991 07:58 | 20 |
| re .7
>> I would avoid trying to replace "verbs" with icons. If you've ever been
>> fortunate enough to try and use a product called "DECgraph",
I wouldn't want to see DECmcc ignore an Iconic Interface just because
DECgraph is difficult to use. Building such an interface requires
prototyping -- building code that might not ship -- so that we can get
it right before the customers get it.
>> Designing a "good" user interface is hard work. What developers
>> (and architects) like doesn't match what customers like ***and use***.
Exactly! Again, prototyping and willingness to correct concepts
will make DECmcc more useable.
Putting ideas-on-paper in the recycle bin is much easier than deleting
thousands of lines of code.
/keith
|
| 1740.9 | Opinions -- Everyone got one (at least one) | TOOK::GUERTIN | Don't fight fire with flames | Fri Nov 08 1991 10:49 | 10 |
| I think the point here is that some products seem to do a pretty good
job at iconifying verbs (take the classic trash-can for "Discard" for
example). Mark, I think you mistakenly came across as saying,
"DECgraph does a lousy job so you guys will probably do a lousy job".
As opposed to, "Very difficult and not with the effort (see DECgraph as
an example)". Personally, I think it is worth the effort and would
also solve a lot of internationalization problems.
Just one man's opinion.
-Matt.
|
| 1740.10 | Saliance => ??? | TOOK::R_SPENCE | Nets don't fail me now... | Tue Nov 12 1991 18:09 | 1 |
| So, what got decided to replace the salt?
|
| 1740.11 | Prototype it, test it, and throw away what doesn't work | BLUMON::SYLOR | Architect = Buzzword Generator | Wed Nov 13 1991 15:01 | 14 |
| Matt's put it better than I. What I meant was...
Using icons to represent verbs is hard (see DECgraph as an example of a
failure). It may be worth an attempt, but please check out the hundreds
of pages of research that have been done already before reinventing something
that's already been tried and failed.
I've got some papers if you want places to start.
The trashcan is an interesting example, note that it is an icon of a noun
(the trashcan) which operates with a verb (move) that isn't represented by
an icon, but by a user action (point, click, drag to can, drop). Also note that
a "good" trashcan allows you to dig into it and recover things you
didn't mean to discard. To really delete - you need a figure of a shredder :-)
|