Bug 74156 - Sidebar adds complexity to UI
Summary: Sidebar adds complexity to UI
Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: UI (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
4.2.0.0.alpha0+ Master
Hardware: Other All
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2014-01-28 16:23 UTC by Tin Man
Modified: 2015-06-21 08:47 UTC (History)
4 users (show)

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Description Tin Man 2014-01-28 16:23:21 UTC
The sidebar brings yet another UI element to look through for commands, which adds unnecessary complexity to the UI. Please read through the usability problems Microsoft found with its Office task pane at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jensenh/archive/2006/04/03/567261.aspx and how having a single UI element as a starting point fixed it at http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jensenh/archive/2005/10/11/479586.aspx. In our case, that starting point is the toolbar.

The sidebar should be split into individual panels (e.g. Properties, Formulas, Custom Animation, Slide Transition, etc.), with buttons for launching them added to the relevant toolbars if they are not already there as follows:
* Buttons for Properties should replace the buttons for the relevant formatting dialogs in contextual toolbars.
* Buttons for "Master Pages", "Custom Animation", and "Slide Transition" should be added to the Presentation toolbar.
* The Function Wizard button in Calc's Formula Bar should be linked to the "Functions" pane.
* Buttons for the Gallery, Styles, and the Navigator are already in toolbars [1].

[1] https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=73151
Comment 1 Cor Nouws 2014-01-28 21:54:43 UTC
a good one for the UX-Hackfest too - thanks!
Comment 2 Joel Madero 2015-05-02 15:41:06 UTC
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Comment 3 Buovjaga 2015-06-20 11:24:24 UTC
I think this can be closed now.
Comment 4 Adolfo Jayme Barrientos 2015-06-20 18:42:03 UTC
?
Comment 5 Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired) 2015-06-21 00:54:02 UTC
(In reply to Mirek2 from comment #0)
> The sidebar brings yet another UI element to look through for commands,
> which adds unnecessary complexity to the UI. Please read through the
> usability problems Microsoft found with its Office task pane at
> http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jensenh/archive/2006/04/03/567261.aspx and how
> having a single UI element as a starting point fixed it at
> http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jensenh/archive/2005/10/11/479586.aspx. In our case,
> that starting point is the toolbar.

As the sidebar was hidden by default in all apps except for impress, most user wouldnt have encountered it unless they explicitly enabled it. In 4.4, the sidebar was enabled by default in non-impress apps but in its non-expanded state, so many users would still not utilize the sidebar unless they needed access to styles & formatting, navigator, or gallery. So users who would utilize the sidebar for the properties tab are users who would likely disable the formatting contextual toolbars and would prefer to have a UI layout similar to iWorks, Calligra and IBM Symphony.

> The sidebar should be split into individual panels (e.g. Properties,
> Formulas, Custom Animation, Slide Transition, etc.), with buttons for
> launching them added to the relevant toolbars if they are not already there
> as follows:

Putting buttons in relevant toolbars to open sidebar panels isnt necessary as the sidebar already has a tab bar of buttons.

> * Buttons for Properties should replace the buttons for the relevant
> formatting dialogs in contextual toolbars.

In Impress, contextual toolbars have been hidden by default in favour of the properties tab in LO 5.0.

> * Buttons for "Master Pages", "Custom Animation", and "Slide Transition"
> should be added to the Presentation toolbar.

Not needed as they are already in the sidebar's tab bar.

> * The Function Wizard button in Calc's Formula Bar should be linked to the
> "Functions" pane.

Totally agree (bug 92219).

> * Buttons for the Gallery, Styles, and the Navigator are already in toolbars
> [1] https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=73151

The Gallery and Styles are now exclusive to the sidebar.

I believe this bug can be closed.
Comment 6 Heiko Tietze 2015-06-21 08:47:02 UTC
Agreed to close