Bug 140629

Summary: Version 2.1 new gui is unusable
Product: [Applications] ktorrent Reporter: Iñaki Baz Castillo <ibc>
Component: generalAssignee: Joris Guisson <joris.guisson>
Status: RESOLVED FIXED    
Severity: wishlist    
Priority: NOR    
Version: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: unspecified   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Attachments: Combobox for switching between groups

Description Iñaki Baz Castillo 2007-01-25 23:56:15 UTC
Version:           2.1rc1 (using KDE 3.5.5, Kubuntu (edgy) 4:3.5.5-0ubuntu3)
Compiler:          Target: i486-linux-gnu
OS:                Linux (i686) release 2.6.17-10-386

I'm sorry, but the new gui of Ktorrent 2.1 is not good at all:

- The "search" button is "hidden" in the bottom-left corner. A button so important should be very visible, that is, in the TOP.

- What does it mean then "Groups" left tab (why "Groups"???). Yes, I know what it is for, but do you imagine a common user looking for the "downloads"? do you really think that he'll look into the "Groups" tab?

- The VERY important "Download" tab is semi-hidden in the strange "Groups" tab. And the users must do DOBLE CLICK (not just easy single click) in "Downloads" to see them.

- Which kind of users does understand what "User downloads" tab means? I think just advanced users. What about common users? why do they need to see always these confusing "User downloads" and "User sends"?

- In general, the most used sections (see downloads, search and see uploads) are very innacesible in this new gui.


I understand your aim of allowing search tabs, that is great, but because of that new feature the rest of the gui is very bad now, the worst I've seen in a P2P app, I'm sorry.



I propose you a different gui, more similar to the previous releases of Ktorrent:


- The principal tabs bar, containing just 3 tabs:

 ( Downloads )    ( Uploads )    ( Search )


- When pressing in ( Downloads ) tab another tabs bar appears below it:

 ( Downloads )
 ( All downloads )  ( User downloads )  ( + New group )

By default all downloads will be shown.
By pressing in ( + New group ) a new downloads group will be created.


- When pressing in ( Uploads ) tab another tabs bar appears below it:

 ( Uploads )
 ( All uploads )  ( User uploads )  ( + New group )


- When pressing in ( Search ) tab there apeear two thing below it:

  - A 100% width div of small tall for the search form (text field for keywords, search engine selector and so).
  - Another tabs bar below it containing each search tab.

 ( Search )
 [ keywords space                  ]  [submit button]  [search engine]
 ( terminator IV )  ( deep purple remaster ) ...


That's all. Of course congratulations for the best bittorrent client of the world, but the gui can be better ;) 

Regards.
Comment 1 Joris Guisson 2007-01-27 12:48:20 UTC
[quote]
- The "search" button is "hidden" in the bottom-left corner. A button so important should be very visible, that is, in the TOP. 
[/quote]

That is debateable, we didn't want to sacrifice a full tab to a widget which is not very big. First we put it on the left tab bar, but because it was to wide, it was decided to move it to the bottom.

[quote]
- What does it mean then "Groups" left tab (why "Groups"???). Yes, I know what it is for, but do you imagine a common user looking for the "downloads"? do you really think that he'll look into the "Groups" tab? 
 
 - The VERY important "Download" tab is semi-hidden in the strange "Groups" tab. And the users must do DOBLE CLICK (not just easy single click) in "Downloads" to see them. 
[/quote]

A common user, with not to many torrents, I think is more interested in all of his torrents. Maybe you are right that if you only want to see downloads or uploads, things are a bit hidden. But that can be solved by a combobox in the menu bar to select the current group. (Not a bad idea, I'm gonna add this)

And the double click is just plain untrue. You only need a single click to switch.

[quote]
- Which kind of users does understand what "User downloads" tab means? I think just advanced users. What about common users? why do they need to see always these confusing "User downloads" and "User sends"? 
[/quote]

So we need to make life more difficult for advanced users ? So that maybe common users wouldn't get confused ? How do you know they would get confused ?

As for your proposal, I don't like tabs in tabs. The combox box will solve your problem for not being able to switch from uploads or downloads without going into the groups tab. 

I don't think finding the search tab, is that much of a problem. 



Comment 2 Iñaki Baz Castillo 2007-01-27 15:23:14 UTC
> That is debateable, we didn't want to sacrifice a full tab to a widget
> which is not very big. First we put it on the left tab bar, but because it
> was to wide, it was decided to move it to the bottom.


I understand the problem, really, but I think that the search button in the 
bottom is a bad idea.



> A common user, with not to many torrents, I think is more interested in all
> of his torrents. Maybe you are right that if you only want to see downloads
> or uploads, things are a bit hidden. But that can be solved by a combobox
> in the menu bar to select the current group. (Not a bad idea, I'm gonna add
> this)


How would look that combobox? I can't imagine it.


> And the double click is just plain untrue. You only need a single click to
> switch.


No no, single click is needed only if you have configured the mouse to "open 
files and directories" with one click. But if you configure the mouse 
as "double click to open files and directories" (that will be the KDE 
default) then you should do double click in Ktorrent "downloads" 
and "uploads". Since there are not two different actions wiht the left 
button, why force the usr to do double click?


> So we need to make life more difficult for advanced users ? So that maybe
> common users wouldn't get confused ? How do you know they would get
> confused ?


I think that a P2P desktop app should "hide" the complex and advanced features 
to common users and let them use the program easily with the default 
configuration.
I just can comment you about two friends using Ktorrent and how they were 
really confused when they upgraded to Ktorrent 2.1 (because I told them to 
upgrade and test their opinion).




Let me do a proposal. Since Ktorrent is becoming a really breat and important 
app in KDE, why don't you ask in kde-usability@kde.org list about the 
usability of 2.1 version? In that list there have been many threads about KDE 
apps usability with very good opinion IMHO.


Anyway, thanks a lot for a great program.
Comment 3 Joris Guisson 2007-01-27 19:33:38 UTC
Created attachment 19448 [details]
Combobox for switching between groups

This is what I mean with the combobox
Comment 4 Joris Guisson 2007-01-27 19:46:22 UTC
As for the double click, it seems that the executed signal of KListView depends upon the global setting for double or single click, wasn't aware of that. Oh, well there is bound to be another signal to get it to respond to a single click.

I wouldn't mind some people with expertise in usability to go over it.
Comment 5 Iñaki Baz Castillo 2007-01-27 20:02:21 UTC
>  --> (http://bugs.kde.org/attachment.cgi?id=19448&action=view)
> Combobox for switching between groups
>
> This is what I mean with the combobox


Personally I don't like it. It forces the need of two clicks again for the 
access to a section. And these sections are too important to hide them behind 
a combobox.

I've done some mockups ofr kde applications (for Konqueror a printers module). 
Maybe you could see them and if you like them I could do a mockup for 
Ktorrent. Just if you want.
Comment 6 Joris Guisson 2007-01-27 20:15:52 UTC
I'm allways open for suggestions
Comment 7 Joris Guisson 2007-03-11 17:12:40 UTC
SVN commit 641512 by guisson:

Final part of GUI overhaul : search plugin tab has now become a toolbar.

With the GUI overhaul complete, we can close 140629

BUG: 140629



 M  +9 -0      apps/ktorrent/ktorrent.cpp  
 M  +2 -0      apps/ktorrent/ktorrent.h  
 M  +6 -0      libktorrent/interfaces/guiinterface.h  
 M  +1 -1      plugins/search/Makefile.am  
 M  +3 -0      plugins/search/ktsearchplugin.kcfg  
 M  +4 -4      plugins/search/searchplugin.cpp  
 M  +95 -101   plugins/search/searchpref.ui  
 M  +11 -4     plugins/search/searchprefpage.cpp  
 M  +25 -16    plugins/search/searchtab.cpp  
 M  +24 -6     plugins/search/searchtab.h  
 D             plugins/search/searchtabbase.ui