[Gimp-developer] [GIMP] Suggestion to simplify user interaction

[Philip Ganchev]

On 10/13/06, Øyvind Kolås <pippin at gimp.org> wrote:
[...]
> I guess you should have a menu or a similar interface in addition/tandem with
> a query interface.

Yes, that's what I am suggesting.  I do think the that the menu is
unnecessary. For example, see the Archy project, started by user
interface expert Jef Raskin, http://www.raskincenter.org/.  But I am
afraid that if I suggest replacing the menu, there will be so much
opposition that the query interface will never be implemented and
integrated into GIMP.  World domination will come more sneakily :-)

> I have implemented a similar solution in my
> prototypes of more advanced layer interfaces and added one more thing,
> items can exist in multiple locations in the menu system with the aim
> to make it easier finding what you are looking for when only browsing
> the menu as well.

Adding an item to more than one menu is probably a good idea.  It must
have been tried before, and perhaps even user tested, but I haven't
researched to know whether it was useful or confusing.

> http://pippin.gimp.org/tmp/search-menu.gif contains a recorded
> animation of the UI elements I've been using.

I did not understand what is the purpose of the interface in the
animation.  I see that you have some searching, but there is a lot of
use of the mouse, which is generally inefficient.