Bug 90989 - Simplified options dialog
Summary: Simplified options dialog
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: LibreOffice (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
Inherited From OOo
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: Options-Dialog
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Reported: 2015-05-01 09:54 UTC by Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired)
Modified: 2024-02-23 09:46 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
VLC - Simple vs Advanced (205.15 KB, image/png)
2015-05-01 13:48 UTC, Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired)
Details
Screenshot of mockups (84.82 KB, image/png)
2023-05-11 10:05 UTC, Heiko Tietze
Details
Mockup (48.88 KB, image/png)
2024-02-23 09:42 UTC, Heiko Tietze
Details

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Description Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired) 2015-05-01 09:54:56 UTC
The design team in the past has decided to improve on the Tools > Options dialog by removing less used features from it.

https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Design/Whiteboards/Options/Global

I think that instead, a simplified options dialog should be created from scratch that would be geared towards the regular user (aka Benjamin), which has the option to be switched to advanced mode for more advanced user (aka Eve), resulting in showing the current options dialog.

I've seen this type of simple and advanced switch type options dialog in apps like VLC.
Comment 1 Cor Nouws 2015-05-01 11:39:59 UTC
+ 1
Looking forward to the design efforts ;)
Comment 2 Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired) 2015-05-01 13:48:44 UTC
Created attachment 115236 [details]
VLC - Simple vs Advanced
Comment 3 Heiko Tietze 2015-05-02 14:56:24 UTC
Comment on attachment 115236 [details]
VLC - Simple vs Advanced

Previous VLC had more levels, IIRC. "Master of the universe" was the setting to show each and every setting. I guess it was chosen quite often.
Comment 4 Yury 2015-05-03 05:16:46 UTC
The idea is good. How a simple prole makes sure this goes in?
Personally, I dislike some of the 'expert' options being taken away (#90801). Perhaps hidden in the 'expert dialog' they would be (more) safe from the purges.
Comment 5 Adolfo Jayme Barrientos 2015-05-05 22:46:27 UTC
This reminds me of something: https://clickortap.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/citrus-home-options1.png
Comment 7 Robinson Tryon (qubit) 2016-08-25 05:49:33 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 8 Heiko Tietze 2023-05-11 10:05:21 UTC
Created attachment 187196 [details]
Screenshot of mockups

This topic was analyzed by a group of students as a university course.

Based on user research they recommend essentially to have full access to all options vs. a simplified variant (landing page was rejected in bug 130083; for the opposite, to show all modules, see bug 101609). Regarding what is advanced and what simple, the students took information from previous work at https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Design/Whiteboards/Options/Global

Second recommended approach is to add a search bar (bug 49895).

Interactive mockup for the screenshots at https://www.figma.com/proto/RhCPS75hmyPGFBGUq4SKPY
Comment 9 Eyal Rozenberg 2023-05-17 19:22:28 UTC
Separating/removing document-specific and template-specific options from this dialog (bug 144814, and my comment 16 there specifically) would go a long way towards resolving this bug. What assumptions were the students making about all that?
Comment 10 Heiko Tietze 2023-05-25 08:51:06 UTC
We discussed the topic in the design meeting. The conclusion was to keep the topic and add a simplified version of the options.

(In reply to Eyal Rozenberg from comment #9)
> What assumptions were the students making about all that?

Assumptions? They run interviews, analyzed the content, created a mockup- no work was done to structure all the options or even parts (which I believe is not possible with those methods).
Comment 11 Eyal Rozenberg 2023-05-25 10:12:45 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #10)
> Assumptions? They run interviews, analyzed the content, created a mockup- no
> work was done to structure all the options or even parts (which I believe is
> not possible with those methods).

Well, if they don't take into account the fact that it's going to be revamped in a way that's orthogonal to this bug - then they may be asking the wrong questions in the interviews and mocking up something which [is supposed to/may] become irrelevant anyways. Which is a shame.
Comment 12 Heiko Tietze 2024-02-23 09:42:42 UTC
Created attachment 192725 [details]
Mockup

We discussed the topic in the design meeting.

While I believe simplicity means as simple as possible and only the absolutely necessary options should be shown, like name, icons, interface, colors, ui lang, locale, and recovery (as illustrated in the mockup) there are other opinions. For example RTL should be present on the dialog (my take is to enable the respective options automatically; and to defer to the advanced mode otherwise).
Comment 13 Heiko Tietze 2024-02-23 09:46:13 UTC
Some notes from the meeting backlog

   * Requirements/Tickets: https://nextcloud.documentfoundation.org/s/RyJoZ8Nt6bNfSmt
     + request on BZ to make clear where the setting applies (general like OpenGL,
       per module like units, 
       per document like Grids)
     + simplified dialog
     + apply the changes (without closing the dialog) and to reset to factory defaults 
       (or previous configuration)
     + search for keyword
   + Categorization: https://nextcloud.documentfoundation.org/s/cPGtpCTJKTLRNBF
     + idea is to find out what property is basic and what is used by experts
     + large list of sections (bold headlines) assigned to persona
     + to avoid asking the community about all options we should narrow down the
       questionable items and do the assignment first in the team - and get more input 
       later on questionable items
   * Basic design: https://nextcloud.documentfoundation.org/s/6BqcybB3RdCNSHL
     + depending on the outcome of the steps before we can talk about the UI
     + Andreas: disagree with simple/advanced but proposing controls to expand the
       options; would be nice to pick up the concepts from Writer; maybe a landing page