Should Xara's interface change?

[alexbozhenov]

Extremely empty GUI )))

[covoxer]

Much like a real painters canvas. Isn't it?

[zaphodeist]

RE the actual interface, the review signposted by Xhris - and sparked this thread - had this to say:

"One criticism is that the interface is becoming a little fiddly, with the tools down the left and the options for them at the top of the screen, as well as a toolbar that changes depending on which tool is selected. Some users will prefer the expanding and collapsing palettes found in, say, Dreamweaver."

I don't find the interface 'fiddly', I think it's designed well for use, though obviously some disagree. What I think is apparent here that, on the whole, folk want improvements to the program and aren't swayed by bells and whistles - "only BETTER makes it better", as Steve says. Change the UI only if it helps in bringing out an aspect of the program itself, that's my view.

[-=Drifter=-]

Personally I like it the way it is, but perhaps some of you might like our icons made a little 3D using our own extrusion tool:

[MarkMyWords]

I am working in full-screen mode more nowadays and mainly use hot-keys instead of icons, though I don't have the colour line open (if you can't remember all the menu keys, the menu bar pops up when you roll over the top edge of the screen). I really wish that docked galleries would pop up when an edge is rolled over too. I tend to toggle the layers gallery (F10) a lot and I have the line gallery with the stroke/shapes folder open which I have set the x key to toggle. Keeping a lot of screen real-estate just for drawing is my preference, but that does not mean I don't want extensive and detailed options for tools when I need them. Customisation of the U.I. would seem the way to go, you can't please all the people all the time...so why not let them please themselves? So to speak.

[ss-kalm]

One criticism is that the interface is becoming a little fiddly, with the tools down the left and the options for them at the top of the screen ...

The tools don't need to be down the left you can easily move them to the top if you want.

...as well as a toolbar that changes depending on which tool is selected.

A toolbar that changes depending on the tool selected is brilliant! What is wrong with that. You have all the relevant tools with out having 25 different toolbars taking up screen real estate. That's a plus in my mind, not a negative.

Some users will prefer the expanding and collapsing palettes found in, say, Dreamweaver.

Expanding and collapsing palettes only work if they are open, and if they are already open don't they take up space on the screen.

Keep the interface as simple and uncluttered as possible - As far as I am concerned the actual interface (forget whether the icons are pretty or not - that's just cosmetic) is absolutely ideal as it is. Although the galleries do need to be improved as stated MANY times in this thread.

[Giovanni]

Mmmh, I don't find the comparison quite appropriate.

Let me say that it's not rocket science to build an interface completely empty (FW has a full screen mode, too).

What I find more challenging is to build a customizable interface, with docking and autohiding panels.

[steve.ledger]

I remember when JASC first introduced 'Rollups' with PSP6 (I think it was). I almost had an aneurysm !!

[Tao jones]

I like the interface the way it is. I use two screens so I have plenty of space. It is what the tools do that is more important to me...tao

[MarkMyWords]

I think if things like the collapsing of docked galleries (opened by roll-over) were kept to the full-screen mode it wouldn't impinge on the way things work now, for most people.

It would be a lot easier, all-round, to simply have a key which toggles all open galleries and toolboxes - as the tab key does with Photoshop.