[KDE Usability] Review Request: Redesign sysinfo devices layout

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http://reviewboard.kde.org/r/1481/
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Review request for usability.


Summary
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I try to redesign sysinfo devices layout. I think it needs some work on grouping data (icon, label, file system, capacity row) with bars.

User should know on very first sight which bar refers to which partition. Currently I can see for ex. red bar and have no idea if it refers to data above or under. It becomes even more crazy as there are devices (partitions) not mounted and they don't have any bar.

One more thing we could change by the way is border of bar. Currently it's not enought clear where bar could end, so it's hard to estimate how really full partition is. I suggest adding some right border or full border which would creeate point of reference (it's clear where is 100% of bar).

I googled for some examples (screenshots) of sysinfo layouts:
[1] http://jerrad.tuxfamily.org/image/kiosysinfo.png
[2] http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/8465/kiosysinfotm9.png
[3] http://files.opensuse.org/opensuse/en/3/3e/Kio_sysinfo.png
[4] http://linux.softpedia.com/screenshots/Sysinfo-for-Pardus_1.jpg
[5] http://linux.softpedia.com/screenshots/KIO-Slave-sysinfo_1.jpg
[6] http://www.tuxmachines.org/gallery/d/30202-2/05-sysinfo.png
[7] https://bugzillafiles.novell.org/attachment.cgi?id=314892

and decided to grap best ideas.

[1] & [2] Both have icons with height of two rows. It nicely connects data row with bar row. Next plus is right border of bar which gives nice reference. Minus is lack of headers and table layout
[3] Standard openSUSE's sysinfo. No space between devices. Readable as long as you have 2 or 3 partitions. In case or more there is too much crowded data.
[4] Similar to [1] & [2], but bars start in the same place where data rows do. Near to perfect, just table layout with headers is missing.
[5] Headers broken, doesn't contain info of used space (no bars).
[6] Gives nice example how hard is table to read in case of more devices.
[7] Standard openSUSE's (11.2) KDE sysinfo I Gimped.

Grabbed ideas:
1) Table layout with headers (done)
2) Add vertical space between each device (partition)
3) Bigger icon with height of two rows
4) Border for used space bar

I Gimped [7] and attached here. As you can see I used all ideas. In case of bars I used two solutions: right border vs. full border.

What do you think about attached mockup? Which border's solution do you prefer?

Don't focus on not perfectly alignments or poor quality images, please. It's just mockup.


Diffs
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  /trunk/playground/base/kio_sysinfo/README 1017400

Diff: http://reviewboard.kde.org/r/1481/diff


Testing
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Screenshots
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Redesigned sysinfo:/
  http://reviewboard.kde.org/r/1481/s/194/


Thanks,

Rafa?

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[macias]

On Sunday 30 August 2009 17:21:49 Rafa? Mi?ecki wrote:

Small world :-)

Technical remark -- it would be better to attach screenshots in
English.

> What do you think about attached mockup?

If some comments do not apply for your work, then sorry.
* I think not present devices should be removed -- here floppy

* I have no idea what the second row is -- is it /home? /usr?

* bars -- there are no limits so it is hard to tell, where is the end

* no info, what bar represents? free space, occupied, total? I figured
it out, but it should be explicit

* bar between entries, not clear is it for the entry below or above

* bars here are misleading, they should not display GB but
percentages, otherwise in case of two bars or more you get an error
("what is the meaning of 10 pixels")


More general comments -- is there real purpose for bars? I realize,
that they are more appealing, but on the other hand they need space
to show information. More safe approach would to show -- total space,
free space in GB and %. No bars, but when user would click on given
device filelight would be launched.

Cheers,
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