With Unity we have been trying to raise the bar innovating in the User Experience with new UI elements, such as Dash and Overlay Scrollbars. But this shouldn’t come at the cost of overlooking less exciting but essential core areas of the OS.
Last cycle we started thinking about how to improve System Settings, and in Precise we hope some of these improvements can start landing.
After examining the current panels and a number of interesting and useful discussions with GNOME upstream, we have defined a small but useful set of changes that we hope will add another level of refinement.
Besides the usual detailed tweaks to options + related widgets, there were other areas we looked at. These are:
- layout consistency
- Unity customisation options
- simplified structure
Switch pattern consistency
With the introduction of the switch widget in GTK 3, and consequentially in GNOME System Settings, different layout patterns have emerged. However, unlike its use in mobile design patterns where it is aligned to the right of its label, in System Settings there were instances of it aligning to the bottom or left of its label.
Because this mobile pattern is here to stay, and it is also easily encapsulable (eg. in menus), made sense to bring consistency to its alignment. Also cognitively, the control should be “after” the label.
This is the result:
Where the description under the header is optional.
Simplified structure
While adding new options to some panels, also reported in some bugs, it became obvious that a bit of reordering was necessary. The biggest change has been the removal of the Screen Settings. Its options have been distributed across more panels.
Where to start
You can review all the details starting from this document. As usual, specs and code are meant to be fixed, so I would be very grateful if you could share your most constructive opinions! ;)
It looks like your document link is broken; I’m getting an empty untitled doc.
The link to the doc doesn’t work. Did you maybe forget to make it public?
I think that this might be the correct document URL https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ILTJDiDCd25Npt2AmgzF8aOnZZECxTfM0hvsbWT2BxA/edit?hl=en_GB
Fixed the link now, thanks! ;)
Yeah, I posted the same link in the toolkit! :) I was clever enough to remove the edit bit! ;)
I just read the document. Wow! I love this level of attention to details! Everything looks great provided it’s implemented finally! Keep up the good work :)
Wow! Everything I wanted is in this document. Please implement it exactly like that.
looks really great! only thing i found a little odd was the decision to put the “record activity” toggle at the bottom right instead of in a more visible location. thanks for sharing, it’s clear a lot of thought’s going into making 12.04 awesome.
Great, great job!
Maybe you could use this tabs style (taken from granite) for the appearance panel: http://pix.toile-libre.org/upload/original/1325887930.png It would be more visible than the small tabs at the top.
Please can you test the design against use with Orca. Don’t wait until it is implemented to find out that the stuff is all backwards. Figure out what the audio script of a user session would be. Too much stuff is broken by design then when it is implemented and still broken there is little that can be done because the implementation matches the design.
What is with ‘Startup Applications’?
Will we get a new UI with more possibilities like:
· launch a program on monitor [number] (multi monitor)
· launch a program optional minimized
· delay startup (15 sec after system boot e.g.)
· open file (could be useful for averaged users that work every day with the same files)
Point 2-3 are important for people that start always the same programs/files when booting there system.
PS: Please add an option to Empathy and Thunderbird to start the program on boot up like Gwibber in 11.10.
1.1 this really really has to be keyboard navigable and visible to orca. It looks like a nux overlay and I know we have a problem with the unfocussable keboard shortcut overlay that is being introduced.
2.1 the location breadcrumb looks like a non-standard widget. How does a screenreader interpret it? is it keyboard navigable? how does a keyboard user move focus to the breadcrumb trail?
2.1 that looks like a city list in a standard widget, awesome! I hope the time changing reads nicely.
2.2 can the launcher icon size range be expanded? at the moment it maxes out at 64 px which is still a bit small for some users. It would be great if it also increased all the fonts in the unity overlay, top panel, indicators, launcher tooltips and popout thingies and the dash and lenses
2.7 Kind of like this, but lets really make sure it sounds sensible in orca. Lets also make it all *work well* in particular I am thinking of the visual bell option which doesn’t do anything when set to full screen and does the most pathetic imaginable effect when set to window. (seriously, give it a go)
The rest of it seems OK.
Most of the settings use a on/off switch, however, in the display preferences and in privacy>files there are check boxes. It is likely unnecessary to have two control types with identical functionality. In addition, each control type seems to have two versions. The switch both on/off and off/on layouts, and the check boxes a large version and a small version. I’m not sure if these differences are part of different widget sets.
Great to see some specs. Thanks for showing us what you’re working on.
My, sometimes constructive, critique (mind I’m not very good at English):
1. Shutdown dialogues.
- First it says: “Shut Down”, than “Shutdown”.
- It might be not clear if clicking close window button will stop shutting down, or just close the dialogue but not the action of shutting down.
- I’m not sure if “Restart” button is highlighted or just has different background from “Shutdown” button. It’s more clear when I see more than two options. Maybe also highlighting text “Restart” would be good idea?
- In the context of the questions “…Would you like to…” shouldn’t be “Lock screen” instead of “Lockscreen”?
2. System Settings main screen.
- There’s “Background” section but later on in the spec is “User interface”
3. Appearance settings (User Interface)
- I’d like to see an option to change font’s settings.
- In “Behavior” tab I’d love to see one more option: Minimize Application’s Windows upon clicking its Launcher Icon (bug #733349 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ayatana-design/+bug/733349).
4. Switch widget
- On some pictures (Date and Time, Display Preferences) text “ON” is on the right, whereas on other pictures “OFF” is on the right.
- What will be instead of words “ON”, “OFF” in systems other than English?
Apart from that I thing it’s all great!
BTW, looking at all the pictures I was thinking about an idea to move the search box up, to the panel with the program name. ;)
I suggest to have a proxy setup screen more complete, such as using the Opera browser, easy to use proxy with password or establish a list of exceptions.
The new shutdown menu is interesting, but doesn’t really fit Unity’s current look. I think it would be a lot more harmonious if it had an appearance similar to the dash home, with the glowing white on translucent black and the rest.
+1
I have a little suggestion.
The category “User Interface” should be renamed because the most common task contained within(changing the background) does not at all effect the way the user interfaces with the OS.
I suggest that it be renamed “Desktop” because this simple term is more easily recognizer by new users and encompass desktop aesthetics as well as functionality.
In User interface > Application Menu there should be a third (and probably the best) choice:
* Integrated in top bar only when window is maximized
really, really, happy to see all these Precise improvements !
I pretty much like it, but why are the symbols of the shutdown dialog buttons _grey?_ I mean on hover the background is white and the symbol is purple, and that’s totally fine. But unless you have a good reason to use grey for the normal state, I’d prefer if you just inverted the colors so bg would be purple and the symbols white. Or somewhere between white and purple if you lower the opacity for shading or whatever reason. Grey’s just plain ugly and also bad for contrast.
This looks really nice. Hopefully we will see this landing in Ubuntu.
Just three annotations:
- Please ensure accessability for a11y-technologies BEFORE doing this, there is still enough broken for disabled people.
- Nonselected Buttons / Background of the shutdown / restart / hibernate dialog are too dark. There should be a higher contrast between icon and background. Maybe it is because of the fadeout effect which lies upon the whole window (and also on the buttons) ?
- I am not sure but in your System Settings mockup there seems to be something wrong with the spacing of the GUI elements. The space next, above and under each item seems differently. It would look more consistent if the spacing for (at least under and above) elements would be equal.
Will configurability of the cog menu that was lost in Oneiric be restored?
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/indicator-session/+question/181695
Unfortunately this would require the creation of a new widget (from what I have been told).
Sure, it’s in our check list! ;)
The switch has a very different real-estate presence. It is very good for important options but it is not very scalable for minor things.
1) Yep, I can see the inconsistency and refinements needed there. I am sure that in the implementations all will be sorted! ;)
2) That was an old mock up, to represent the look and feel (not updated with the latest restructuring changes)
3) The font size can be changed in the Universal Access panel. Would you like to change something else or simply making it more discoverable? We have some options here to explore.
4) Yeah, the widget will be indeed the same everywhere! I believe that ON/OFF will be replaced by I/0 in other languages.
Thanks for having noticed all that! ;)
It’s a valid option, we will give it further thoughts. Thanks!
That could be the behavior when “integrated to the window”, but I can’t confirm you this now.
Just read through the specifications. Some questions:
1. Do the screen settings work with proprietary drivers like nvidia? Make shure that one can set up everything when using nvidia-settings.
In my setup with two full-hd screens configured with nvidia-settings, I see just one big screen in the gnome-settings.
2. You removed the “primary screen” selection, as in Unity the launcher will be shown on every screen. But what if a user installs another Desktop Environment which relies on that setting?
3. What about more complex screen setups like two monitors and a projector, where one monitor should mirror the projector?
4. On my notebook the last time I tried 12.04, the nvidia driver led to a black screen and freeze of the system. Would it be possible to add an option to the recovery menu to restore/set the driver selection and monitor setup?
Christian, thanks for taking time to answer and comment on our suggestions. :)
As of font settings, I’ve checked Universal Access and there’s only general setting for size. I was thinking more of something which was in Ubuntu about two animals before ;)(not sure exactly when it disappeared). I’d like to be able to set hinting, antialiasing, monospace font and so on. I’m sure you remember what I’m talking about. Oh, I’ve found a screenshot: http://commons.oreilly.com/wiki/images/a/af/Ubuntu_Hacks_d1e12725.png
One more thing I’d like to mention is an ALT key. By default it’s now used to move windows. If you use Inkscape, you know the ALT key is necessary there. I believe there’s more application which use that key extensively but Ubuntu steals it for moving windows. Please provide an easy way to reasign moving window key or, even better, change it to “super” key by default.
I really like these improvements. This is a great team, but a suggestion:
Can you please look the usability of “backlight toggles” mode of icons?
The user can see easily the running applications and makes the Unity very clean.
( https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GEFyUOPt2hQ/TxSkIWftuUI/AAAAAAAAAOM/9NXWkXhjSHw/s1280/unity.jpg )
I’m helping some people to use Ubuntu and is hard to find any running app without it. This option by default or in “User Interface > behavior” will help every users.
Great mock-ups! Is there any chance we will get the Ubuntu (bfb) button looking like it does in the mockups in the final release 12.04? It’s a minor change but it sure looks alot better.
Hi,
great job but I have few questions.
1. It’s also planned to improve the Startup configuration GUI to make it easier for new Ubuntu/Linux users? At the moment it is more a list if terminal commands. For me no problem but for a normal user?
2. What is with changing the hostname? I know easily edit /etc/hostname and hosts but again. Newbie’s have a problem with that.
3. Sound Settings.. Any improvement planned here? To switch off the Login Sound over the Startup applications or change it is in my opinion not the first point where users search for this.. This make more sense in the audio settings.
regards,
BlueCase
Will there be no option to always show the menubar at the top?
Please get rid of the terrible ON/OFF switches: checkboxes are much better and more intuitive.
With an ON/OFF switch, you never know whether the “ON” or “OFF” word that it displays is the current state, or indicates the state that you can set by pressing the button: this is EXTREMELY confusing.
Also, all users are familiar with checkboxes, while no other desktop UI uses the ON/OFF switches (for the good reason above).
Take a look at Granite; it’s a library that expands GTK to include a few widgets, like the “static notebook tabs” in the screenshot.
https://launchpad.net/granite
Craig Posted on I don’t know if 8 hours of utility there’s much or not. But I woludn’t buy a HP mini laptop, because first of all it’s more expensive than a normal dimensioned laptop.Not running modern games on high detail settings is a bad point also.