Re: [libreoffice-design] HIG

Hi Adolfo,

On Sun, Sep 29, 2013 at 5:33 AM, Adolfo Jayme Barrientos <
fito@libreoffice.org> wrote:

> Mirek wrote:
> > Could we please use elementary's HIG [1], which has the GNOME
> > HIG as back-up, as our go-to HIG from now on?
>
> In your opinion, what are the main benefits that this change may bring
> to LibreOffice?


One of the primary differences between the Gnome HIG and the elementary HIG
is the recommended use of menu bars. The Gnome HIG states: "The menubar is
normally visible at all times and is always accessible from the keyboard,
so make all the commands available in your application available on the
menubar." [1] This is reflected in various other areas of the HIG. For
example, the HIG recommends that every piece of the UI be hideable from the
View menu. [2]
Of course, the main LibreOffice modules use a menu bar right now, but for
future designs, we should be moving to a simpler toolbar-based approach,
which the elementary HIG is ideal for, and which it is already apparent
from Gnome 3 developments will also be a cornerstone of the new Gnome HIG.

The stable Gnome HIG is also outdated in various other ways (e.g.
recommending menus with icons, the Ximian color palette instead of Tango,
old screenshots and examples, ...). The elementary HIG is markedly newer
and simpler to go through.


> I’m not sure if elementary HIG completely fits
> LibreOffice – for instance, I don’t completely like elementary’s
> childish writing tone (but I do like other aspects such as their
> recommendation on brevity).

Fortunately, a childish writing tone isn't a recommendation (are you
referring to "Get Some Tunes," which is their example of making things
brief?). In fact, the HIG discourages against culture-specific references
[3], which should reduce childish writing.

[1] https://developer.gnome.org/hig-book/3.0/menus-menubar.html.en
[2]
https://developer.gnome.org/hig-book/3.0/toolbars-controlling-display.html.en
[3] http://elementaryos.org/docs/human-interface-guidelines/language

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