[Bf-committers] Actuall usability of some tools and new features

[GSR]

Hi,
sjon at student.chalmers.se (2009-11-19 at 2050.15 +0100):
>> "Having to open a panel each time you want click a button in it just 
>> seems quite slow to me, and also makes it harder to find things at a 
>> glance."
> - It is faster than having to scroll, and it is faster to find desired 
> settings since the interface is much less cluttered. It is much faster 
> to find things at a glance as this is the problem of todays layout, and 
> the very problem i am trying to adress. windows with little content can 
> be pinned by default.

I have serious doubts, opening requires clicking small targets (maybe
many until you find it) and scrolling is just click & drag a huge
target, with fast eyes looking for things. Because you are scrolling
by grabbing the full zone, not the tiny scrollbars, right? If people
go to scrollbars to do small zone drags, it just proves the point
about too obvious things just slowing down users. For trully huge
zones scroll bar is faster than multiple grabs, but for small things
not so (ironic that improvement backfires in some cases, but not less
true).

Good organization makes scroll minimal, while keeping everything
related in sight instead of forcing user to remember invisible things
that apply to the current context. One thing is removing useless
things and other going to far and removing near everything.

For example, recently Carsten complained about the missing keys F# to
access buttons. I would even add that subpanel state could be bind to
number keys (a la 3d view layers). The F# keys were faster and many
power users realized that, instead of clicking buttons on screen. That
kind of interface is the one Blender had, and IMO should keep /
recover / expand. Count the clicks, the keys, the motions, the time
you have to think instead of just let your muscles "take over". All
those can be tested and measured, but sometimes imagining the workflow
is enough.

GSR