Topic: Changes to UI terminology

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • March 17, 2009 at 03:39 #1869
    Zynewave
    Keymaster

    With the recent updates to the Podium guide screenshots and the addition of the online help option in release 2.11, I have started on a major revision of the Podium guide. Going through the text (some of it written years ago), I found some terms used in the UI that I feel are outdated, because of the massive changes that have taken place over the years. I’d like your opinions on these:

    Browser window: I think it would make more sense to rename this to Project window.

    List window: With the rename of the Project window, it would make sense to rename this window to Browser window. I think this is a more recognizable term that people can associate with file browsing. This means the List tab at the top right of the main window (Project window) will be renamed to Browser.

    What do you think about this?

    Other suggestions for cleanup in the UI terminology?

    March 17, 2009 at 05:18 #14748
    LiquidProj3ct
    Participant

    I’m totally agree with both renames, they’re more standard

    March 17, 2009 at 08:37 #14749
    druid
    Participant

    Yes, I always wondered about the “browser” window; I even now keep opening it thinking that I will get a browser where I can search folders and things!

    I agree with the browser->project. The list to browser is alright, but something feels wrong with me for that still. I have no other suggestion, however.

    March 17, 2009 at 11:44 #14750
    Malcolm Jacobson
    Participant

    Hi Frits,

    I agree with your suggested changes. Great to hear you’re updating the User Guide too.

    One of the terms I’ve always found confusing is “Editor Profiles”, which actually appears to be more of a “Customise Windows” function than a control to set-up editing functions.

    I also find it confusing when I open the “Editor Profiles” for “Arrangement”, as an example, and find four identically named entries for “Timeline ruler”, when in fact they’re separate controls for adjusting the Loop Timeline, Marker Timeline, etc. It would be great if you could change this part of the UI to make it simpler.

    If it’s at all possible, I think it would be great to put all of the UI strings into an external resource file (e.g. XML). This way, people could easily customise them into terms that make sense to them, plus they could be translated into their native language (assuming the UI supports unicode).

    Cheers,

    Malcolm.

    March 17, 2009 at 11:45 #14751
    H-man
    Participant

    @Zynewave wrote:

    What do you think about this?

    Cool with me too 🙂

    @Zynewave wrote:

    Other suggestions for cleanup in the UI terminology?

    I must confess I don’t really like the name Inspector, but I’ll be damned if I can come up with anything more appropriate :(.

    Track Tools?
    Track Panel?

    …Betty? 🙄

    March 17, 2009 at 12:06 #14752
    LiquidProj3ct
    Participant

    @H-man wrote:

    I must confess I don’t really like the name Inspector, but I’ll be damned if I can come up with anything more appropriate :(.

    Track Tools?
    Track Panel?

    …Betty? 🙄

    Gadget 🙂

    March 17, 2009 at 12:32 #14753
    druid
    Participant

    I agree with Malcom Jacobson to some degree, though if one user were to help another, and they’d renamed panels, would that person remember what the default names are to help them?

    However, .xml files or similar would indeed make it easy to translate the UI, once unicode is in place (if it ever happens). Even when it’s not, for lame ASCII languages it would be easy. (Just kidding about the lame. 😉 )

    March 17, 2009 at 12:35 #14754
    Malcolm Jacobson
    Participant

    @H-man wrote:

    I must confess I don’t really like the name Inspector, but I’ll be damned if I can come up with anything more appropriate :(.

    How about “Configure Track”?

    A lot of UI elements can be simplified by changing the label from a noun – e.g. “Inspector” to a verb-noun combination that describes the purpose of the element.

    Following on from this, the labels in the tabs at the top of the default window could be changed to (left to right):

    • Configure Track

    • Configure Project

    • Configure Workspace

    • View Help

    • Browse files

    Changing the UI labels to verb-noun pairs also reduces the documentation overhead, as a lot of the controls become self-explanatory.

    Cheers,

    Malcolm.

    March 17, 2009 at 21:08 #14757
    Zynewave
    Keymaster

    @druid wrote:

    Yes, I always wondered about the “browser” window; I even now keep opening it thinking that I will get a browser where I can search folders and things!

    That was exactly what you got in the first incarnation of the browser window. The project start page was added a long time after that. You can get to the old folder view by clicking the round button at the top right of the start page.

    March 17, 2009 at 21:30 #14758
    Zynewave
    Keymaster

    @Malcolm Jacobson wrote:

    One of the terms I’ve always found confusing is “Editor Profiles”, which actually appears to be more of a “Customise Windows” function than a control to set-up editing functions.

    It’s both for the visual layout and the editing behaviour. An editor profile is not linked directly to the window. You can have profiles targeted for the embedded editor in the arrangement editor. You can set up multiple editor profiles that you can switch between using the view menu in the editor window.

    I also find it confusing when I open the “Editor Profiles” for “Arrangement”, as an example, and find four identically named entries for “Timeline ruler”, when in fact they’re separate controls for adjusting the Loop Timeline, Marker Timeline, etc. It would be great if you could change this part of the UI to make it simpler.

    I’ve just changed this so that you see “Timeline ruler – Loop”, “Timeline ruler – Punch” etc. Coming in release 2.13.

    If it’s at all possible, I think it would be great to put all of the UI strings into an external resource file (e.g. XML). This way, people could easily customise them into terms that make sense to them, plus they could be translated into their native language (assuming the UI supports unicode).

    Localization and support for Unicode is on the plan for the future.

    March 17, 2009 at 21:37 #14759
    Zynewave
    Keymaster

    @H-man wrote:

    I must confess I don’t really like the name Inspector, but I’ll be damned if I can come up with anything more appropriate :(.

    Track Tools?
    Track Panel?

    …Betty? 🙄

    Both Cubase and Logic Audio uses the word “Inspector” for their version of a track properties panel. That makes me think it’s ok to continue using the term Inspector, although I’m open for alternative suggestions 😉

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