[libreoffice-design] LibreOffice Toolbar Usability Interface - Big Picture

Because I like the “big picture” I would like to make some comments to
help me, and perhaps others, formulate the trajectory and philosophy for
the UX future of LibreOffice.  Moreover, I value the clarification of
the project and community’s “direction regarding usability” higher than
“a bug fix” to adjust the design at a single point in time.  So these
are some of my opinionated thoughts, as well as a suggestion of where
some of it could be practically applied.

Understandably the toolbar is gaining its critics and self-proposed
redesigners.  I agree that this part of LibreOffice’s design is critical
and inevitably it will evolve in future development and versions.  I’m
even really excited seeing some of the mock-ups.  Currently I’m just
concerned about getting caught up in a shiny object syndrome, rather
than an intentioned philosophy driving the project’s direction.

As an open source application, The Document Foundation has the great
opportunity before them to show the wise maturity borne in the FLOSS
community of how to present accessibility to the user--customized
control.  Regarding the current mock-ups I’ve seen, these designs show a
promising future and a sleek user interface if the developers on The
Document Foundation indeed pay attention and latch on to one of these
ideas. However another possibility would be a downstream submission
which would provide an alternative interface for users of a particular
OS or distribution–I’m thinking of Ubuntu’s Canonical here.

In my opinion these designs each demonstrate that an eye-pleasing layer
could be placed over the existing suite of applications and offer a user
a sense that they are working in a 21st century program and
aesthetically compare to current commercial/enterprise software a little
more directly. But there is another, more compelling reason for this to
be considered. To offer innovation within the GUI (emphasis on USER)
would be a benefit not simply because everyone else is doing it, but
because it fits exactly in-line with the philosophy of free software, if
done right.

Commercial software companies spend an enormous amount of money on
interfaces focused on end-user studies, ergonomics, usability and
intuitive design.  In fact it would seem sometimes that new versions of
these commercial programs update the graphical design more than the
actual features or capabilities of the software. The Document Foundation
now has a budget which is still a small amount in comparison if it was
all tossed to specialists and third-party advisers in these critical
development areas. We can do better, not simply because we are FLOSS,
but because we have a different understanding of freedom/liberty.

In each presentation of the best, latest, shiniest software release
there is a subtle, sneaky lock-in, learning curve and dictation from the
supplier  delivered by fiat to the user as to “what is the best way to
interact with this program” and what functions will be the best tools to
accomplish what you want to get done.  LibreOffice will be successful
not because of innovation (dictation) but because of freedom
(customization) and user-focused design (as a reminder, users are very
diverse).

My practical suggestion, is to take the best of tabs, ribbons and docks.
Take the finest customization techniques built into LibreOffice and
already available in the FLOSS-sphere and pack them into an upgrade of
this suite that will offer users what they want, what they need, and
what works for them--all at the same time.

What this would look like is ever-present, full customization of tool
properties: grouping, position, appearance and visibility.  My term for
this is “toolgroups.”  This reaches beyond the function of static tools
grouped within a ribbon tab.  Rather, this is a user-customized group of
tools tagged to appear always, or workspace dependent.  The group can be
placed in a sidebar, floating dock or in an inactive tabset (invisible
or simply unusable).  We already, seriouthis, in toolbars that are active based on active content 
(Writer
tables, etc.).

I hate to even upload a mock-up of what this would look like.  Partly
because I’m not wanting to compete with the great DeviantArt works that
are out there.  They are done well and speak for themselves that
creativity and time has been invested in them.  I especially do not want
to post something now because a display of my toolgroup arrangement
would be personally descriptive, not imperative.

There’s my couple of cents, for whatever it is worth, and for whatever
it can further.

--Jared


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