Mailinglist Archive: opensuse-factory (528 mails)

[Christian Jäger <christian.jaeger@xxxxxx>]

The main-menu has grown quite large meanwhile and contains lots of 'dead
space' IMHO. My father, for example, wasn't able to locate the
logout-button... Big Board is not the way to go (I hope).

So, I'd thought the menu could perhaps use some slimming-down. It could
be done by re-organizing the layout to provide better overview - while
not compromising functionality too much. 

Unfortunately I have nothing to contribute but these thoughts and
mockups:

Mocked-up slimmer gnome-main-menu:
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/8469/cleangnomemainmenumockuzv9.png


There's two ways to reduce the current menu's complexity: Omitting
unneccessary items and arranging the remaing ones 'smarter'.

1. Removing unneccessary space-stealers

- Lock screen (who needs this?)
- whole-width search-field on top

2. Re-grouping items

- Install software goes into the 'applications'-tab where users need it.
- Control-center becomes a tab of its own, called 'System'.
- Connection and HD-status go into the System-tab 


This leaves us with few, but important menu items on the right-hand bar:
'Help' and 'Logout'.

As shrinking the 'Search'-menu has gained us space, these find a place
in the top-bar of the menu, next to the search-field.

You have already realized that I couldn't resist mocking up an
integrated control-center and application-browser:
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/8961/appbrowsermockup3io4.png
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/1451/controlcentermockup3dw9.png

It would also be terrific if 'search' would act as a filter, or better:
a search, on the category shown, if the user doesn't hit the return-key.

I hope you don't find mockups too bothersome; especially coming from a
non-coder.

Yours,
Chris

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