On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:27:59 -0700, r wrote: >> I'm saying that the user understands their workflow and environment better >> than the application's programmers. The user should be able to decide >> which menu items are shown and where, which buttons are shown and where, >> etc. The code doesn't need to know this level of detail, let alone dictate >> it. > > I completely disagree with this idea of user "customization" of the > GUI. Sounds more like adolescent accessorizing to me. How is changing > the location of a button, or entry, or whatever, actually going to > make workflow more easier?
For a start, removing any buttons which the user won't be needing eliminates the risk of them clicking on them by accident. Beyond that, there is an advantage to placing buttons (etc) in similar locations to other applications which the user uses (or was using prior to migrating). In some cases, the reduction in mouse motion which can be obtained by placing specific buttons close together can make significant difference. Sometimes those buttons aren't all part of the same application (I know of people who place the Windows taskbar at the top of the screen simply because it's closer to most applications' toolbar and menubar). If you have two windows side-by-side, there's a benefit to having the left-hand window's controls running down its right-hand edge and vice-versa, so both sets of controls are all in one cluster. For mouse-centric applications, keyboard shortcuts aren't always a solution; particularly for left-handed users, as shortcuts are normally optimised for right-handed users (i.e. common shortcuts use the LHS of the keyboard, on the assumption that the right hand is on the mouse). > Sounds like "somebody" failed to get input > from their users at design time. Or "somebody" has the inability to > relate to their end users. You're assuming that there is some "right" answer which is appropriate for all users. There isn't. > Would a mechanic give you a screw driver so you could adjust the fuel/ > air ratio yourself? If he did i would never take my car back again! > Just reeks of incompetence!! If the manufacturer took your approach, there wouldn't be any screw. Just a fixed setting for all climates and altitudes, urban and rural, flat and hilly. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list