Re: [libreoffice-design] Design Tenets Proposal

> > > I want to see LibreOffice having the *best* UI, not the newest or
> > > trendiest one.
> >
> > +1000
+1

> > > If LibreOffice will be a trendsetter or not depends on the fact if we
> > > find *better*
> > > solutions than all the other designer out there (or if we manage to
> > > include them
> > > more consistently in our product).

> > >  *Don't forget actual users for possible future ones.*
Agreed.

I'm generally all for revisiting the basics, but I think there's a
fairly straightforward path which doesn't need too much handwringing.
We are designing improvements to the existing LibreOffice project,
taking into account the habit investment that existing users have
made. To me, the brand is secondary - it's just a reflection of who we
are and the users we are catering for, and that is:

. Classic Office refugees - this is the same group as the Renaissance guys...
. Free (beer) office seekers - people like my co-worker who wanted an
office suite for occasional use but didn't want to pay the license fee
for a full-on MS install.
. Geeks/bleeding edgers/power users - people that are willing to
relearn the interface in exchange for more productivity.

Most western countries have had a revolution and have since
concentrated on reforms. The revolution was the open-sourcing of
StarOffice. Our task is to improve the product, stage by stage. If we
turn up with a completely different interface (as ideological debates
tend to produce), it will be buggy and unwelcome, or die in vaporware.
In UX we're currently redesigning the toolbar system in light of
docks, ribbons and so on. We'll probably try to keep it somehow
similar to the toolbars to ease the transition to any new system.

With 80/20, we can cut through the main problems users have, but that
will be directed by who they are. If we design for some perceived mass
of users, we may miss the ones that exist in reality. The very fact
that we are here doing UX design means that we will make it easier to
use LO and more immediate.

I don't mean to rain on efforts to define vision and direction. That's
great. But we must get to whatever goal by small steps, not
revolutionary leaps, which we are doing. Bernard is our figurehead, so
I'm happy to leave it to him to coordinate long-term goals, while we
work on incremental redesigns.

It seems at present that the UX needs to catch up with the
capabilities of the platform, so things like discoverability,
immediacy and intuition are my focus.

Philip H

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